Bears Sign Earl Bennett to Extension

Fans of fanciful footwear can rejoice, as Earl Bennett was signed to a contract extension that will put him in orange shoes for the Bears until 2015. The deal is believed to be valued up to $18 million.

In his four seasons with Chicago, Bennett became one of Jay Cutler's favorite targets. They were teammates in college, and their Vanderbilt connection helped the Bears get to the NFC Championship game last season.

Despite serving mostly as a slot receiver, Bennett still was the second-most productive Bears receiver with 561 yards. Though he missed five games with a chest injury, Bennett is averaging 15 yards a catch.

His connection with Cutler produced one of the more fun moments of the season, as Bennett wore bright orange shoes that were not league-approved in his first games back off of the injury report.

He was fined by the league, but caught 176 yards wearing the lucky shoes. Cutler reportedly picked up the tab for the first two fines, but as the league threatened to fine him Bennett $20,000, Cutler joked that it was time to retire the orange shoes after a good run.

But with his new contract, Bennett can afford his own fines. At the very least, he can take Cutler out for nice dinner.

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