While some of his old Bears teammates might be disappointed to know that former linebacker Brian Urlacher doesn’t want them to win a Super Bowl without him, quarterback Jay Cutler said he understood.
Urlacher said he was still hoping the Bears did well, but added: “They better not win a championship without me because I’ll be really pissed.”
Cutler said he got where the statements were coming from, and didn’t hold it against his old teammate.
“I don’t blame him, I think if I had just retired, I’d probably be in the similar boat,” Cutler said, via Scott Krinch of CSNChicago.com. “You miss the game, you obviously wish everyone well, if your team does go the distance you wish you were right there with him. I can’t blame him.”
Urlacher’s departure from the Bears was handled awkwardly, and the lack of closure to what should have been a celebrated career feels extremely cold and clumsy in hindsight.
Of course, Cutler’s also entering a contract year with no hint of a new deal, so being able to compartmentalize personal feelings while business happens is something that might be useful to him in the near future.
