It was announced Wednesday that the Chicago Bears were unable to reach an agreement on a new contract with longtime middle linebacker Brian Urlacher and that both parties deemed it necessary to move on.
However, the news itself came as a surprise to Urlacher, according to Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune:
"My phone was blowing up, and I had no freaking idea what was going on," Urlacher said. "I had 10 messages in 20 seconds. Then I was like, 'Holy crap.' It was crazy."
According to a Yahoo! Sports article, the Bears offered Urlacher, who had earned $8 million in 2012, a one-year contract worth $2 million, with only $1 million in guaranteed money. Urlacher was seeking a two-year contract worth $11.5 million, but they offered the Bears a counter proposal worth $3.5 million for one season.
The Bears currently have $6 million in cap space, and weren't interested in the $3.5 million offer Urlacher was asking for. That insulted Urlacher, who considers the Bears decision "a slap in the face."
"It wasn't even an offer, it was an ultimatum," Urlacher told the Tribune. "I feel like I'm a decent football player still. It was insulting, somewhat of a slap in the face.
"They came back with the offer and said, 'This is what it is, take it or leave it.' It was, 'If you want to play for the Bears, you'll play for this. If not, then you're not playing for the Bears.'"
Urlacher says he plans to continue his career and hopes to play for a team who has a shot to win the Super Bowl. He's been rumored to be on the Dallas Cowboys radar.
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