Bleacher Bums Forum

NFL Network had Urlacher slotted as the #6 linebacker FA available. He's not going to get big money from anyone at his age.

NFL Network had Urlacher slotted as the #6 linebacker FA available. He's not going to get big money from anyone at his age.

I think what's working against Urlacher even more than his age/health questions, is the fact that he has played his entire career in one defensive system -- and a system that has mostly fallen out of favor around the league at that.  He is a Tampa-2 MLB, period. It is ludicrous to think he could plug in to some 3-4 scheme and be effective at ALL, and the GMs of those teams get that.  Urlacher's skills (or what's left of them) are simply not a fit for a lot of teams and wouldn't have been even if he were a few years younger.

The only logical place I can even think of him being a fit would be Dallas and as Dallasbear has pointed out, they've already got a pretty good young MLB down there.

something like a 2 yr 10 M if he reaches all the incentives but really works out to about 3M per year.
He likely this year (if healthy) can still man that MLB spot better than anyone we can get.
We do need to get a replacement in the pipe though.

 I wonder what Freeney would cost? a 3DE rotation of Peppers, Freeney and McClellan would be pretty stout against the Passer, especially with Melton in the middle. If Freeney sits out there it would be a coup if we could bring him in. He knows the T2 and can bring the heat. At this point in his Career I don't think he could play in every system or even every down but as someone rotating in the T2 he might add value.

wouldn't surprise me if we let Urlacher walk.

Each new FA signing increases that ikelihood.  It is the logical move, IMHO.

Yeah I've been thinking about Freeney too.  He's an undersized 4-3 DE like McClellin so he could really help McClellin learn how to play the position.

The problem is, he's a spot player at this point in his career but he's gonna want starter's pay.  Emery don't play that tune.

I read something somewhere that said Urlacher's proposal was 2yr at around the 5.5M mark that Ray made last year.
If they did something like a 2yr deal with like a 3M Roster bonus, 1M Base and 1M incentives for this year and something that could get him to 5M with incentives next year that might work.
Essentially he could play this year for about 4M and retire with honor if he wanted to and a 2yr 10M contract sounds good to the media.

Greg Jennings just signed with the Vikings.  I feel like the Bears are falling behind the other teams in the North.