Bears Reportedly Place Alex Brown On The Trade Block

The Bears are shopping DE Alex Brown, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

An NFL source told the Tribune the Bears are working actively to deal Alex Brown. If they cannot find a taker for the nine-year veteran who finished last season as a captain, they could release him. The move of Idonije likely signals the end of Brown's career with the Bears because there simply isn't enough playing time to go around.  

Biggs speculates that Brown could have fetched a similar deal to Kyle Vanden Bosch or Aaron Kampmann on the open market.

What makes a trade difficult is that Brown has a high $5.5 million base salary in 2011. So if someone wants to trade for him, and keep him for more than a year, that contract may have to be addressed.

The Bears don't have much leverage here as Brown is the odd man out at defensive end. Teams know they would prefer to trade him or, if it comes down to it, release him. 

Read more at our Bears community, Windy City Gridiron.