Perhaps extending some emotion from his own failed negotiation with the Chicago Bears, Brian Urlacher on Friday hammered his former team for releasing kick returner extraordinaire Devin Hester.
In a telephone interview with FoxSports.com, Urlacher expressed his frustration with the organization's apparent lack of loyalty.
"I was really surprised to hear the news," Urlacher said. "You think of Devin returning all those punts and kicks as a Bear. He's going to break the record on another team, probably. It's crazy to think he won't be in a Bears uniform doing that. It's frustrating as an ex-Bear and a player to see that happen."
According to FoxSports.com, Hester had a career-high 1,442 kickoff return yards in 2013. But he will turn 32 next football season, and the Bears apparently had zero interest in making Hester an offer.
"Look at what the Steelers have done the last couple days signing Troy Polamalu, Heath Miller, some older guys to a couple more years just so they can retire as Steelers," Urlacher said. "The Bears could do that with Devin. He should retire a Bear. He set all those records in a Bears uniform, and his No. 23 should be retired one day in Chicago.
"It's just the loyalty factor. It's just not there. He should be a guy that retires as a Bear."
The situation was similar to the one Urlacher faced last year at this time. The Bears did make an offer to re-sign him - a one-year deal for $1 million guaranteed with up to an additional $1 million in bonuses. The middle linebacker and likely future Hall of Famer initially sought a two-year deal worth $11.5 million, and he thought the Bears and his agent would settle on a compromise, according to the Chicago Tribune.
It didn't quite work out that way.
The Bears sent out a release saying that Urlacher and the organization mutually agreed that he should move on. Only, he thought they were still negotiating.
"My phone was blowing up, and I had no freaking idea what was going on," Urlacher told the Tribune. "I had 10 messages in 20 seconds. Then I was like, 'Holy crap.' It was crazy.
"It wasn't even an offer, it was an ultimatum," Urlacher said of the Bears' offer. "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.' "
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