The trade is contingent on a new contract, but the Minnesota Vikings have agreed to trade receiver Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks, according to a league source.

The news was first reported by ESPN and Fox Sports.

Harvin had made it clear to the Vikings that he wanted an elite receiver contract, reportedly on par with Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald, who make over $15 million a season.

ESPN reported that there's a window now for Harvin's agent to work out a long-term deal with the Seahawks. Harvin must also pass a physical.

According to Fox Sports, the Seahawks are sending this year's first-round pick (25th overall) and a 7th rounder as well as a mid-round pick next year.

This begs the question: How does this deal compare to the Bears' to land Brandon Marshall last offseason?

It's believed the Bears could have interest in guards Andy Levitre and Brandon Moore.

Now add Ramon Foster.

Undrafted out of Tennessee, Foster has started 42 of 57 NFL games. Last season, he started all 16 games at right guard for the Steelers.

According to Pro Football Focus, Foster is the 10th rated free-agent guard on the market. Moore is No. 1 and Levitre is No. 2, according to PFF.

Overall, for the 2012 season, Foster was ranked 34th among guards by PFF. Moore was 4th, and Levitre was 9th.

So where did Bears linemen rank? Well, Lance Louis was 47th while Chris Spencer was 50th. So Foster, on paper, would represent an improvement, according to PFF.

Foster is 27 years old, and he's 6 foot 6, 325 pounds.

Foster should draw a fair share of interest, including from his initial team, the Steelers.

Pro Bowl defensive tackle Henry Melton has accepted the franchise tender from the Bears and will sign it in the near future, his agent Jordan Woy said on Twitter.

Last week, the Bears applied the franchise tag to Melton. Once he signs, Melton will be guaranteed $8.45 million, the tender amount for defensive tackles, for the 2013 season. That ensures the Bears don't rescind the franchise tag, which they could do. On the flip side, Melton surrenders the negotiating tool of not showing up for offseason workouts and perhaps showing up at training camp.

Woy, though, made clear that the focus now is on a long-term deal, which could benefit both Melton and the Bears. For Melton, it could guarantee him more than the $8.45 million he's set to get for the 2013 season. And, for the Bears, they can dramatically lower his $8.45 million salary cap number.

"It just feels good to be thought of so highly," Melton told the Sun-Times last week. "Been a long road."

Melton, 26, earned his first Pro Bowl berth after the 2012 season, when he finished with six sacks.

The list of teams lining up for the services of guard Andy Levitre, who has started every game for the Buffalo Bills since being drafted in 2009, should be long.

And the Bears are expected to be included.

Fixing the Bears' woeful offensive line is widely considered to be general manager Phil Emery's No. 1 job for the offseason. Teams are allowed to talk to unrestricted free agents on other teams during a three-day negotiating period, which starts Friday at 11 p.m. Free agency officially begins at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

The Bears announced their offseason schedule on Friday:

March 12 (3 pm CT) New League Year and free agency begins

April 2 Chicago Bears offseason workouts begin (non-field activities)

April 16-18 Veteran Voluntary Minicamp

April 25-27 NFL Draft

May 10-12 Rookie Minicamp

May 13 OTA (organized team activities) Practices begin

June 6 OTA Practices end

June 11-13 Veteran Mandatory Minicamp

The official starting date for training camp will be announced at a later time.

The expectation was that veteran quarterback Jason Campbell would serve as Jay Cutler's backup in 2012 then head elsewhere.

But indications are that the Bears would like Campbell back -- and he's receptive to that possibility.

Despite leading the improvement of the Oakland Raiders offense, Campbell was ousted when he was injured then replaced by Carson Palmer, who then head coach Hue Jackson had worked with in Cincinnati.

Campbell didn't get any chances to start or compete early in free agency last offseason, and he elected to join the Bears to work under coach Lovie Smith and alongside Cutler.

He signed a one-year deal worth $3.5 million, including a $2 million signing bonus.

Campbell had a strong training camp and the Bears were pleased with him. But he struggled in his lone start, on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers. In that game, he was 14 of 22 for 107 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. In that game, he was sacked six times.

With Matt Moore re-signing with the Miami Dolphins, however, Campbell, 31, could become an appealing option for a team that's looking for a veteran to push a young quarterback.

The available free agent class is relatively weak.

The agents for Brian Urlacher provided the Bears contract parameters for a new deal Thursday morning, according to a league source.

Earlier Thursday, Pro Football Talk reported that the Bears and Urlacher were "engaged in ongoing discussions" and Fox Chicago added in the evening that Urlacher's agents made an offer.

The key, of course, is how much the Bears are willing to pay Urlacher, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection who has played his entire career with the team.

Veteran defensive lineman Israel Idonije said Urlacher has to return.

"You start talking about our defense, Brian Urlacher is the quarterback of that defense. He is the linchpin in what drives us," Idonije said on The Score. "So when you start talking about getting the offense better and then maintaining defensive success, Brian Urlacher has to be a piece of that equation... You take him out of that situation, things just change.

"I think Brian is going to be back and he's a Chicago guy. He's really a big part of the team culture. When I listened to coach [Marc] Trestman talking about men of character, guys who are going to come in and work hard and really embody everything he envisions the team to be, I mean, at the top of that list is Brian. So I think they're going to look to really get him back and ultimately his heart is here. He wants to be here."

Last season, Urlacher was paid $8 million. He'll have to take a steep pay cut to continue his career with the Bears. The question is how much of a cut.

Urlacher has made it clear privately to the Bears and even publicly that he doesn't want to play anywhere else.

But the Bears offer will be important.

At the NFL Combine, I spoke to eight general managers, personnel executives and coaches if Urlacher had anything left. Only one definitively said he did not.

Urlacher's play improved last season, before a hamstring injury sidelined him. And because the Bears will continue with the 4-3 defense, Urlacher still has value to the defense, even if his athleticism has clearly declined.

Besides, what is the alternative?

The Bears don't have anyone on the roster, especially with Nick Roach also a free agent. And the free-agent class at interior linebacker isn't a rich one, other than Dannell Ellerbe, the Baltimore Raven who is expected to land an expensive contract. As for the draft, there are some options but are they ready to step in at a challenging position and start for a team with championship aspirations?

Veteran defensive lineman Israel Idonije wants to play two or three more years in the NFL and he hopes that they're spent in Chicago with the Bears.

That's what Idonije, who has been with the Bears since 2004, said during an interview on 670 The Score with Laurence Holmes on Thursday night. Idonije is set to become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday and should garner plenty of interest from around the league.

Branden Albert was a player often linked to the Bears.

But not anymore, after the Kansas City Chiefs used its franchise tag on Albert just before the 3 p.m. CST deadline Monday.

The Chiefs, in fact, announced a trio of moves this afternoon. In addition to franchising Albert, they also announced the signing of extensions for receiver Dwayne Bowe and punter Dustin Colquitt.

As for the franchise tag, a total of eight teams used it this offseason, far below the record 21 from a year ago. For a second consecutive offseason, the Bears used the franchise tag.

The franchised players are: Safety Jairus Byrd (Bills), defensive tackle Henry Melton (Bears), defensive end Michael Johnson (Bengals), linebacker Anthony Spencer (Cowboys), offensive tackle Ryan Clady (Broncos), punter Pat McAfee (Colts), Albert and defensive tackle Randy Starks (Dolphins).

The next key NFL date is March 9, when a negotiating window begins for agents and clubs to work toward contracts for free agent players. Free agency officially starts March 12.

As expected, the Bears placed the franchise tag on Pro Bowl defensive tackle Henry Melton.

While on vacation, Melton was informed of the team's decision.

He's flattered.

"It just feels good to be thought of so highly," Melton told the Sun-Times. "Been a long road and now just want to get a long term deal done and remain a Bear for years to come."

The 2014 franchise tag for defensive tackles is $8.45 million. Melton, though, clearly would prefer a long-term deal. A fourth-round pick in 2009, Melton has established himself as one of the elite defensive tackles in the NFL. Just 26 years old, Melton started his collegiate career at Texas as a running back but transitioned to defensive tackle.

Melton has shined the last three seasons for the Bears, culminating in a Pro Bowl berth in 2012.

The Bears utilized the franchise tag for a second consecutive offseason. They did so last year with Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte. They were one of the record 21 teams to use the franchise tag, and they were among 12 that secured the player to a long-term deal.

The Bears have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal with Melton, otherwise he'll play the 2013 season for $8.45 million. If the Bears franchise him again next offseason, that base salary would jump to $10.14 million.

Barring a last-minute uptick in negotiations, the Bears will use the franchise tag on Pro Bowl defensive tackle Henry Melton by the Monday afternoon deadline.

By doing so, the Bears give themselves until mid-July to work out a long-term deal, as they did a year ago with Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte.

And many league sources expect a similar contract to tempt Melton.

The Bears, in essence, guaranteed Forte consecutive franchise tenders. To use that same strategy on Melton, the Bears would have to guarantee $18.59 million. The franchise tag for defensive tackles, according to NFL Network, is $8.45 million. If the Bears used it again next offseason, Melton would get 120 percent, or $10.14 million.

But will that be enough for Melton, who is 26 years old?

He just completed his rookie deal, which paid him $565,000 last season. He could command more in free agency, but the Bears aren't likely to let him get there.

So will he pass on an extra $10 million and gamble that he'll have another good season?

Last year, a record 21 teams used the franchise tag. As of Friday afternoon, only one -- the Cincinnati Bengals -- used it. Several others re expected, though, before Monday's 3 p.m. CST deadline.

As it stands, the Bears have virtually no salary cap space, if they elect to use the $8.4 million franchise tag on Pro Bowl defensive tackle Henry Melton.

Although the Bears are about $12 million under the salary cap, the franchise tag and the space needed for at least the team's top two draft picks ($2-3 million) leaves them virtually no room.

I clearly spell out in this story that the Bears can easily create space by restructuring, extending or cutting a handful of players.

The reality is, it's going to be a buyer's market, and the Bears can create space to afford whatever position they choose. Look no further than the contract the New York Giants got offensive tackle Will Beatty to sign Wednesday.

It's five years, $38.75 million, with $19 million guaranteed. But the Giants structured the deal so it would only eat up $3.55 million in cap space in 2013. The Bears could do something similar for any of the many free-agent offensive tackles out there.

Personally, I think the Bears will make a serious run at two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jermon Bushrod, who worked closely with new offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer in New Orleans. One would assume his deal would be somewhat similar to Beatty's.

But as Spotrac shows in this posting, Beatty's cap number increases dramatically in the second year and thereafter. That's something the Bears -- and all other teams -- have to be mindful of.