He was the marquee free agent of his time. Just like Julius Peppers.

            A long, lean defensive end, he specialized in rushing the passer. A huge wingspan and great athleticism earned him the nickname The Freak.

            Remember Jevon Kearse? He was once what Peppers is now.

            Kearse broke into the NFL in 1999 with a stunning rush (pun intended). The 14 ½ sacks he notched remain a rookie record. He had 26 after two seasons and 36 after three. In 2004, turned loose in free agency, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

            His eight-year contract, valued at $66 million, made him the game’s highest-paid defensive end. He never played to that level for the Eagles. He certainly didn’t play eight years for them.

            In four years he produced 22 sacks. He never got more than 7 ½ in a season with the Eagles. The back-end years of his contract weren’t guaranteed and the last three years, worth almost $27 million, never got paid because he was gone in four years.

            Such early brilliance. Such a fast fade. Kearse began and ended his career with the Titans, who recently released him. He played in only six games in 2009. If his career is over, it wraps up with 74 sacks.

            Kearse was only 27 when he jumped to the Eagles but his best football already was behind him.

            And that brings us back to Peppers. He’s 30. In eight years with the Carolina Panthers, he rang up 81 sacks. That’s impressive because he played left end for his first six seasons, while most of the sack artists come from the right side.

            He’s now the NFL’s highest-paid defensive lineman, courtesy of the Chicago Bears. Contracts are structured differently than when Kearse signed with Philadelphia, giving the player more guaranteed money, in this case about $40 million over the first three years. Kearse's guarantee was about $23.3 million over three years.

            Despite his yammering about wanting to play in a 3-4 scheme, Peppers joined a club that employs the Tampa-2 scheme. That’s pretty much what he left behind in Carolina.

The Bears have not exactly been known for their pass rush, either. In 2009, the Bears sacked the quarterback 35 times, led by Adewale Ogunleye’s 6 ½.. In ’08, they managed only 28, with Alex Brown their leader with six. They last had a player in double digits in 2006 when rookie Mark Anderson finished with 12 and then became a pedestrian player.

            Will Peppers fit? Absent Ogunleye, who is a free agent, will the Bears be able to bring pressure from both sides, or will Peppers face constant double- and triple-teams that limit his productivity?

            Kearse moved when he was 27 and slipped badly. Peppers already is 30. Carolina knew how to use him. The Bears will have to find out. Kearse and Peppers. The guess here is they will be compared often in Chicago. That might not be good news.

ADDING A BIT TO THIS: Bears may use Peppers more at LE than RE. Could flip-flop him. ... One Redskins coach tells me comparing Kearse to Peppers is a mistake, that Peppers is much better and could have 15 sacks this year. I respect this opinion. I am not sure I agree. LW