LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher has agreed to a new nine-year deal that will keep him with the Chicago Bears through the 2011 season. ESPN.com's John Clayton reports Urlacher can earn as much as $58 million over nine seasons, including a $13 million signing bonus this season.

	Urlacher

"This is the culmination of a lot of years of hard work,'' said Urlacher, the 2001 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. "I'm going to be a Bear for the rest of my career and that's exciting for me.''

Urlacher, the ninth overall pick in the 2000 draft, has 527 career tackles. He's led the Bears in stops in each of his first three seasons, averaging 175 a year. With 214 tackles last season, he set a franchise record, shattering the previous mark of 190 set by Hall of Famer Dick Butkus in 1972. He won rookie of the year honors in 2000.

"Brian is very much a centerpiece of our football team, at present,'' Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said. "And we rewarded him accordingly.''

Clayton reports the contract has no options, but Urlacher will get a $13 million signing bonus this year, plus a $1 million roster bonus and a $1 million base salary making the contract worth $15 million this season. In the second and third years of the contract, Urlacher is eligible for a total of $5 million in roster bonuses

In addition to being Chicago's top defensive player, Urlacher has quickly become a fan favorite. He's earned Pro Bowl honors each season and was the top defensive vote-getter by fans last year. His jersey was the top seller in the NFL last season. Urlacher could have waited until after the 2004 season to become an unrestricted free agent, but he decided against it.

"I don't see anything better anywhere else,'' Urlacher said. "I love it here. My family is here now. It's an easy decision for me.''

"He was scheduled to make $4.1 million over the final two years of his original five-year contract. He's a pillar that we will continue to build on and around for many, many days to come,'' Angelo said. "And now, all we've really done is gold-plated it.''