The Bears and defensive tackle Darwin Walker agreed to a five-year, $25 million contract on Tuesday, two days after the team acquired him in a trade with Buffalo. Walker will earn about $2 million this season, plus $8 million to $9 million in bonuses and possibly another $3.5 million in incentives over the length of the contract, according to his agent Albert Irby.

The Buffalo Bills ended Darwin Walker's holdout by trading the disgruntled veteran defensive tackle to Chicago. In exchange, the Bills received an undisclosed pick in next year's draft. The deal marks the second time the seven-year veteran has been traded since March, when Buffalo acquired him in a deal that sent linebacker Takeo Spikes to Philadelphia. Walker, however, had refused to report to Buffalo until the team renegotiated the remaining two years on his contract. He was scheduled to make $1.3 million this year and $1.4 next season.

Devin Hester continued a trend that began during offseason workouts by standing out like a flashing neon light during the Bears' first training camp practice at Olivet Nazarene University on Friday. The cornerback-turned-receiver lined up split wide, in the slot and in the backfield. He looked like a natural while running routes and catching long and short passes. If his first official practice as a wide receiver is any indication -- we'll learn more when he practices in pads for the first time today -- Hester may exceed expectations while making the difficult transition from defense to offense. ''He's picking it up well,'' quarterback Rex Grossman said. ''He has so much potential. He knows the offense on paper, and now he just needs to get more reps to get comfortable with it. He's an added dimension to our offense that's bound to create a bunch of big plays during the season.'' ''He's going to be great,'' Vasher said. ''He's going to be someone to keep your eyes on.''

Linebacker Lance Briggs, who'd threatened to hold out of training camp, agreed Wednesday to a one-year, $7.2 million deal with the Chicago Bears. Briggs, a Pro Bowl selection last season when the Bears made the Super Bowl, had been unhappy when the Bears designated him as their franchise player.

The Chicago Bears agreed to a four-year contract with second-round pick Dan Bazuin on Wednesday. Bazuin, a defensive end out of Central Michigan, is the last of nine players selected by the Bears to reach a deal. The team reports to training camp Thursday.

One of the biggest questions facing the Bears all off-season has been when linebacker Lance Briggs will end his holdout from training camp. Maybe it won't even begin. There were strong indications Tuesday night the two sides either were coming close to an agreement that would end a messy contract dispute or had solved it altogether. Reached on his cell phone, Briggs said "no comment" when asked if he had agreed to sign the one-year contract tender worth a guaranteed $7.2 million and report on time Thursday to the start of training camp in Bourbonnais.

Cornerback Charles Tillman and the Bears agreed Tuesday on a six-year contract extension. Tillman, a second-round draft choice in 2003, now could be with the Bears through the 2013 season. He has started 49 games in four seasons.

The clock is ticking for Bears linebacker Lance Briggs, who has until 3 p.m. Monday to sign a long-term contract extension. If no deal is completed -- and little progress has been evident since last year -- NFL rules stipulate that the only deal Briggs can sign is the franchise-tag tender offer of $7.2 million for 2007. One possible compromise: Briggs could agree to sign and play this season in exchange for the Bears' promise not to apply the franchise tag again next year. Otherwise, Briggs' threat to sit out the first 10 games serves only to cost him about $425,000 per week, since no long-term deal is allowed after 3 p.m. Monday.

A judge has ordered Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher and the mother of his toddler to take a three-hour parenting class. Urlacher and his ex-girlfriend, Tyna Robertson, are in a legal battle over Urlacher's parental visits with his 2-year-old son, Kennedy. The boy lives in Joliet with Robertson, but visits the NFL star at his home in Lake Forest 62 miles away. Urlacher has accused Robertson of violating a court order to drive their son to a tollway oasis roughly halfway between their homes so he can pick the boy up for visits. The linebacker's attorneys claim he has missed at least four overnight visits with his child.

Only a week after the NFL pulled the plug on its overseas developmental league, the Bears have terminated the contract of the veteran regarded as the top player in NFL Europa this spring, releasing much-traveled quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan. The move came only three weeks before the defending NFC champions are scheduled to report to training camp, and reflected O'Sullivan's status as a long shot to win a roster spot. Chicago currently has four other quarterbacks -- starter Rex Grossman, veteran backups Brian Griese and Kyle Orton, and undrafted free agent Chris Leak, who led the U. of Florida to a national title in 2006 -- on its depth chart.