“I wouldn’t say it wasn’t worth the wait,” he said. “Ultimately, I wondered if I could have gone in there, done my own negotiation and had it come out the way I wanted. I had no idea how things work, but I am happy to be here.”

One sticking point was that the Benson camp wanted a deal in line with the lucrative contracts signed by last year’s No. 4 pick, San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers, and this year’s third pick, Cleveland receiver Braylon Edwards.

Rivers signed for $40 million, including a $14.25 million signing bonus. Edwards got $20 million guaranteed on a $40 million contract.

“Not having a point of agreement can tend to be frustrating on both sides,” said Eugene Parker, Benson’s agent. “Communication helps to keep the emotions managed.”

He said Thursday’s meeting “added to that.”

The impasse raised doubts among some Bears fans, who saw visions of Rashaan Salaam and Curtis Enis — running backs who reported late as rookies and had disappointing careers.

But Angelo said Benson’s desire to play for the Bears was “never, ever in doubt. Eugene assured us throughout the process that Cedric wanted to be a Bear. And I wanted to make sure that when Cedric came in with his adviser, we made that clear as well.”

Now, Benson will have to make up for lost time. He participated in June workouts, so he’s familiar with the offense. Wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad said they’ve added a few blocking schemes and run plays, and have changed the names of a few plays. Otherwise, little has changed.

“That’ll be the toughest thing — blocking the pass routes,” offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. “The running game will come.”

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