Brian Urlacher has been our 21st century answer to Dick Butkas and Alex Karras. He is a tough guy. He intimidates quarterbacks. Heck, he intimidates people out on the street. Maybe it’s just the way he looks…. 6’4” tall and 260 pounds…. with that shaved head and that “don’t mess with me” attitude he carries around. But Urlacher is a popular dude. He is a leader on and off the field and a voice of reason when things start to get out of control.
Urlacher has played his entire 12 year professional football career with the Bears in Chicago and now, although he hails from Pasco, Washington and went to college in New Mexico, he calls Chicago his home. “Whether I play for the Bears or not, that’s my home,” he said. “So I want to be there and hopefully we can work something out. But if not, I’ll go somewhere else.”
Urlacher has been to the Pro Bowl 8 times now and is generally considered to be one of the best defensive players in the business today but, Brains’ contract is up at the end of this season and he is now looking at the possibility of finding himself on the market as a free agent. Any club that he joins will be better off for it.
Urlacher made $7,500,000 in 2012 and is probably going to have to take a cut in salary to keep on playing the game. However, he has expressed in interviews that he is realistic about his situation and is willing to take less this year to stay with the Bears. With a brand new coach in Marc Trestman, it could be fun.
Whatever he does Brian Urlacher has had a career to be proud of. From Consensus All American in 1999 to being named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, he has earned the chance to do whatever he wants. He is currently enjoying a second career doing TV adds…….. and you know what, he’s not bad at that either.
“When you look at my age and everything (he is 34), it’s going to be hard to not give them a discount”, Urlacher told reporters. Obviously he wants to stay in Chicago and the Bears would be fools to let him go. Good football players abound in the NFL but team leaders like Brian Urlacher are few and far between.
