Agent Drew Rosenhaus said Briggs will earn $21.6 in salary through the first three years and the deal includes $13 million in guaranteed bonuses.

The three-time Pro Bowl player became an unrestricted free agent Friday.

"I'm extremely happy about it,"' Briggs told the Chicago Tribune. "With Bernard (Berrian) signing with the Vikings, I think it gave me the opportunity to come home. I'm happy to return to the team that I started my career with.'"

The agreement with Briggs came only hours after Berrian, the Bears' leading receiver last season, left Chicago for the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, agreeing to a six-year, $42 million contract.

"We're glad that we got both guys situated," Rosenhaus said. "Both guys are very happy."

Briggs had team-leading 10 tackles for loss last season and finished with 140 tackles (80 solo), and there was heavy speculation that he would leave. Rosenhaus said Briggs was close to signing with the Washington Redskins, who tried to acquire him last summer, and that Green Bay, Tampa Bay and New Orleans were interested.

"The contract made sense in terms of the way we structured the deal," Rosenhaus said. "Kudos to the Bears."

He had a tumultuous offseason a year ago when he vowed never to play for the Bears again after they made him a franchise player. He relented and joined the team right before training camp. The linebacker also made unwanted headlines in late August after crashing and abandoning his Lamborghini alongside a highway in the middle of the night.

But in December, Briggs said he hoped to stay in Chicago.

"I can see myself in a lot of uniforms," Briggs said at the time. "But honestly, I can see myself in a Chicago uniform if things work out that way, which I hope they will."