Brian Urlacher currently sits on the free agent market after a messy divorce from the Chicago Bears. He has yet to receive any real interest from teams after being released earlier this week. After spending his entire career with the Bears, the veteran is searching for a new home, however some believe it might be time for him to make some serious decisions regarding the future of his career. Former Green Bay Packer wide receiver Donald Driver told ESPN Urlacher should consider retirement and finish his career as a Chicago Bear.
Driver recently announced his retirement from football and was making his media rounds when he spoke to ESPN on Urlacher's current situation. Driver said that he thinks being released from the Bears was the last straw of Urlacher's career.
"Urlacher is going to have to sit down and make some tough decisions. But I think he'll retire as a Bear. This might be it for him," Driver said.
Driver accepted a pay cut to return to the Packers for a final season, but spent most of it on the sideline due to injury. The Packers later informed him that he would be released, so Driver decided to retire instead of pursue a job elsewhere. He believes that while Urlacher can offer veteran knowledge and leadership to a team, he might not be able to offer much else physically.
"I think the only thing he can offer is the leadership part of it. One thing about it, Urlacher has slowed down a little bit. You all get up in years-especially myself-you know you can still play the game and you think you can still play the game. But at the end of the day you have nothing to prove," Driver said.
Urlacher has spent 14 years in the NFL, all with the Bears after being drafted in first round in 2000. He has played almost every game most seasons, but has seen a recent decline in numbers. Last season he recorded 68 combined tackles and zero sacks in 12 games played. He recorded a career-high eight sacks in his rookie season but was never able to repeat that success. Urlacher has been a vital part of the Bears strong defensive unit but injuries and a decline in production has forced the team to move on without him. If Driver is right about Urlacher retiring, he will go down as one of the great defensive players of the Bears.