Alaskan Hardy signs with Tampa Bay Bucs

Daniel Hardy of Anchorage picked up his first NFL paycheck, Chris Kuper of Anchorage is poised to triple his salary with the Denver Broncos, Daryn Colledge of North Pole is looking for somebody to play for other than the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers and Zack Bowman of Anchorage hopes to win back his starting job with the Chicago Bears.

Hardy, a recent University of Idaho graduate, signed a four-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that will make him one of four Alaskans in the league this season, provided the team keeps him.

A West High grad, Hardy was a standout tight end for Idaho and a seventh-round draft pick by the Buccaneers. According to scout.com, he received a $45,900 signing bonus.

Kuper, a Dimond High grad, will be cashing substantially larger checks for his job as an offensive guard for the Broncos.

Kuper is heading into the first year of a $25.5 million five-year deal agreed upon last year that, according to the Denver Post, will pay him more than $7 million this year. That's almost three times the $2.5 million Kuper earned last year as a restricted free agent.

Kuper's average salary the next five years will be $5.1 million, which the Post said makes him the second-highest-paid offensive lineman in Broncos history, behind the $6.2 million average earned by now-retired Matt Lepsis.

And Kuper got a bonus of a non-monetary kind when the Broncos hired John Fox as their new coach. Fox likes to run the ball, which is good news for any offensive lineman. "We're excited," Kuper told the Post.

Colledge picked up the best bonus of all last season with the Packers -- a Super Bowl ring. But his agent told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Green Bay has lost its chance to re-sign the highly regarded free agent.

"I believe the Packers have had the last couple of years to get a deal done and we weren't able to reach an agreement," agent Jeff Sperbeck told the newspaper. "They could have done it after his third, fourth or fifth years."

News on where Colledge will wind up should emerge Friday, when teams can officially sign free agents.

Bowman, a Bartlett grad, is likely to stay in Chicago, where he is set to begin his fourth season as a defensive back with the Bears. Bowman led the Bears with six interceptions in 2009 but lost his job as a starter last season.

Reach Beth Bragg at bbragg@adn.com or 257-4335.