CHICAGO – Lance Briggs and the Chicago Bears remained at a stalemate Monday as time ran out for the Pro Bowl linebacker to sign a multiyear contract.

The only deal that remains for Briggs to sign is a franchise-tag offer of $7.2 million.

Upset that the Bears slapped him with the franchise-player tag in February, Briggs threatened a holdout – at first for the entire season and then for 10 games so he could report for the final six to qualify as serving one year as a franchise player.

The designation made it difficult for Briggs to market himself to other teams because the Bears have the right to match any offer sheet he signs. If they chose not to match another offer, the Bears would get the other team’s first-round draft picks in 2007 and 2008 as compensation.

Briggs, who would have become an unrestricted free agent in March, made his second straight Pro Bowl and helped the Bears win the NFC championship last season.

Before the Super Bowl, Briggs had talked optimistically about getting a chance to enter the open market.

Briggs made $721,600 last year in the final season of his first NFL contract. Negotiations on a contract extension broke down last spring, and reports indicate Briggs rejected a six-year offer of more than $30 million.