Veteran linebacker Lance Briggs was told on Thursday afternoon by the Chicago Bears that he would not be offered a contract to return next season.
Today marks the end of an era in Chicago. After 12 seasons, the Chicago Bears told veteran linebacker Lance Briggs that he would not be offered a contract to return with the team in 2015. In his first 10 seasons with the Bears, Briggs only missed four total games. But, in the past two seasons, Briggs suffered season-ending injuries in both years, allowing him to only play a total of 17 games in that two-year span.
Sources confirm Lance Briggs will not be returning to the #Bears next season. #NFL
— Jen Lada (@JenLada) March 5, 2015
According to CSN Chicago’s John Mullin, Lovie Smith, a former Bears’ and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coach, could snatch up Briggs along with another former player in Chicago to add to his defense.
Briggs was once a beloved, elite linebacker for the Bears, but with his aging body that seems much more prone to injuries these days, cutting ties only makes sense at this point. The Bears as an organization have played with a defensive identity for most of their existence, but things have gone down hill in recent years. Last season, Chicago ranked 30th in the league in yards allowed per game. Brian Urlacher has been gone for a few seasons, and with Briggs gone and possibly Charles Tillman, Chicago will have no remaining players from their 2006-07 defense that lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl.
The Bears should now look to build that defense back up to what it used to be with the older players now gone. There are some things to worry about on the offensive side of the ball with the Jay Cutler evaluation and possible Brandon Marshall trade, but defense is this team’s identity, and they need to address their issues there first.
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