Let me start this by saying that I am a huge Brian Urlacher.  He is my favorite football player of all time, and I would be happy if the Bears paid him $10,000,000 a year until he turned 40.

That being said, he has not been the same player these last couple of years as he once was, and his contract is huge.  I worry that this latest injury could be the end of Brian Urlacher's Chicago Bears career.  His performance has declined. There are legitimate reasons to believe that he will never be fully healthy again and that he will never again be the elite player that he once was.

If the Bears defense performs well without Urlacher, then the front office may take a hard, long look at whether Urlacher is really worth the elite-player salary he is getting paid.  The money owed to Urlacher may be better spent improving other parts of the team (or signing our young players to long-term deals).  

Almost inevitably, the day will come when the Bears decide to part ways with this living legend.  Do you think this day could be sooner, rather than later?