Free-agent-to-be Brian Urlacher is realistic about his market value
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| Brian Urlacher says he will take a pay cut to stay with the Bears in 2013. (US Presswire) |
Eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher sounds realistic about his value heading into his 14th season.
The impending free agent, who made $7.5 million in 2012, is willing to take less to stay with the Bears.
"When you look at my age and everything, it's going to be hard to not give them a discount," Urlacher said on the Waddle & Silvy Show on WMVP-AM 1000. "I'm not going to make what I was making in the past, how about that? Does that make sense? That's fair."
Urlacher called Chicago “my 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."
Hampered by knee and hamstring injuries this season, Urlacher finished with 68 tackles. He had played full seasons the two previous years with 225 tackles.
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"At times I felt like I was playing pretty well -- I was just so inconsistent," Urlacher said of 2012. "I was never really in football shape. It was very frustrating for me to be out there and just not be able to do what I normally do. I think I can get back there, though ... just through training in the offseason and get back into it, and practicing. Gosh, I missed so much practice last year. It was frustrating."
Urlacher, who has 41.5 career sacks and 22 interceptions, has been first-team All-Pro four times.
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