Hat tip: Extreme Skins.
Per Fox Sports (who originally broke the story):
FOXSports.com has learned that the Bears have turned down the Redskins' offer of trading the sixth pick of April's draft for Chicago's Pro Bowl linebacker and the 31st pick of the draft. Redskins sources say Bears GM Jerry Angelo has phoned Washington with his decision.
For now the deal is dead, but that doesn't necessarily mean the deal is lost for good. It appears that the main sticking point is the fact that the Bears believe the pot isn't sweet enough as is.
Jay Glazer reports on what would make the deal tenable; Da Bears want Rocky McIntosh. However:
For now the deal is dead, but that doesn't necessarily mean the deal is lost for good. It appears that the main sticking point is the fact that the Bears believe the pot isn't sweet enough as is.
One Redskins official said that, despite the logjam, they view McIntosh as a good young player who has too much upside to part with. Perhaps one option would be for the Redskins to include McIntosh but then ask Chicago for more as well to even it out a bit.
Qualified support of McIntosh that cannot be comforting to Rocky given this entire situation. The writing on the wall is that Briggs comes in to replace McIntosh, who took 14 weeks to take Warrick Holdman's job. If Briggs gets in this defense, nothing short of injury/death will get McIntosh on the field. Even if the team recognizes his upside, they apparently couldn't do so last year and even implicate him as trade bait this offseason. I would be flustered.
If negotiations are to continue, both teams need to head back to the drawing board. The #31 plus Briggs for #6 isn't going down. The Bears want more, the Redskins don't want to give that up. Until additional formal offers pop up, I'm treating the Lance-Briggs-to-Washington-trade as MIA.