Linebacker Lance Briggs signed a six-year contract to remain with the Bears earlier this month.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Following a detailed investigation and a hearing, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has determined that the San Francisco 49ers violated the league’s anti-tampering policy last season by contacting linebacker Lance Briggs’ agent without the Bears’ permission.

As a result of the ruling, the Bears will swap third-round draft picks with the 49ers, moving up five slots to the seventh selection of the third round. According to a chart used by NFL teams that assigns numerical values to each pick in the draft, the move equates to a sixth-round choice.  San Francisco will also forfeit its fifth-round pick, but the Bears will not receive that selection.

“We are appreciative of the efforts of the league office on this matter and support the commissioner’s decision,” said Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips.

The Bears currently have eight picks in the draft, with one in each round and an additional third-round selection that was acquired from the San Diego Chargers in a draft-day trade last year.

The Bears had filed tampering charges against the 49ers to initiate the proceeding. Briggs, whose contract expired following the 2007 season, agreed to a six-year extension with the Bears March 1, the second day of this year’s free agency period.