Considering his accomplishments, his overall value and the way he changed the perception of the middle linebacker position, longtime Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher seems destined for the Hall of Fame.

The debate it seems is whether he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer or have to wait a little longer. He will be part of stellar group of players who will be eligible in 2018, including linebacker Ray Lewis, cornerback Ronde Barber, guard Steve Hutchinson and quite possibly receiver Randy Moss.

But one former NFL personnel man doesn't quite believe in Urlacher's credentials. Former New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi said on SiriusXM's Mad Dog Radio that Urlacher is "a borderline Hall of Famer."

"I don't know that he's a definite Hall of Famer," Accorsi said on the show (via Pro Football Talk). "I think there is a host of them, like Willie Lanier, that were dominant players. He was good, but I wouldn't put him in that level."

Here's a collection of comments from around the league about longtime Bears linebacker and his retirement after 13 seasons in the NFL:

It seems like a moot point now with Marc Trestman now in charge of the Bears and Lovie Smith gone. But Brian Urlacher said he believes he'd still be playing if Smith was the Bears' head coach. Urlacher announced his retirement Wednesday.

"I do believe that, yes," Urlacher said during an interview on NFL Network's "NFL Total Access" Wednesday. "I think my desire to be there would be a lot more as well.

"Nothing against the new coaching staff because I never played for them, but when you start playing for a guy like Lovie, you want to keep playing. So I think if he was there, my desire, my want-to to play would still be there."

Bears chairman George McCaskey issued the following statement on the retirement of longtime Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher on Wednesday:

The Urlacher era in Chicago is now officially over.

After 13 seasons in a Bears uniform, linebacker Brian Urlacher is retiring from the NFL. He announced his decision on his Twitter account on Wednesday.

"After spending a lot of time this spring thinking about my NFL future, I have made a decision to retire," Urlacher said. "Although I could continue playing, I'm not sure I would bring a level of performance or passion that's up to my standards. When considering this, along with the fact that I could retire after a 13-year career wearing only one jersey for such a storied franchise, my decision became pretty clear.

"I want to thank all of the people in my life that have helped me along the way. I will miss my teammates, my coaches and the great Bears fans. I'm proud to say that I gave all of yo everything I had every time I took the field. I will miss this great game, but I leave it with no regrets."

Kicker Robbie Gould is set to return to the practice fields with his Bears teammates during organized team activities on Thursday.

Gould is yet take part in any offseason workouts with the Bears and new coach Marc Trestman because of a leg injury suffered while warming up before the Bears' game Dec. 9 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Bears rookie punter Tress Way is eager to get back to home to Oklahoma this coming Memorial Day weekend after a devastating tornado ripped through Moore, Okla. on Monday.

Way, whom the Bears signed as a free agent after the draft, just wants to help. Way is from Tulsa, Okla. and went to the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

"Moore is about five minutes from my school in Norman," Way said Tuesday after the Bears' organized team activities. "The movie theater that was hit, that's where we all go see our movies. I was in our rookie meeting [Monday] and my phone just kept buzzing and obviously I wasn't checking it or anything but I was really eager to see what I happened, because we had no idea. We had been here all day.

"I just started getting pictures, text-message pictures from people. I mean, my goodness, it's heartbreaking because it's five minutes down the road from us. ... I was just so heartbroken because, man, I just want to go home. There's not a whole lot that you can do. It's a natural disaster. It's a horrible thing. I texted all the guys from my team back home and I just said, 'Fellas, get down there. Start pulling debris off.' They're missing kids, there are families (missing)."

The NFL is close to pushing back the league draft to May, according to an ESPN.com report.

The draft would move from April to May beginning with the 2014 draft, sources told ESPN. In addition, the report also quotes sources saying the league is considering beginning its year before the Indianapolis Combine in February, allowing more time for free-agent signing. The league year currently begins in March.

With their second week of organized team activities beginning on Monday, the Bears announced that they have terminated the contract of veteran defensive tackle Andre Fluellen.

The Bears had signed Fluellen to a one-year deal on April 9 along with center Taylor Boggs and defensive end Kyle Moore. Fluellen's release leaves the Bears with just two veteran defensive tackles, Nate Collins and Corvey Irvin, behind starters Henry Melton and Stephen Paea.

The Bears signed Irvin after being invited to rookie camp on tryout basis. They also have three undrafted free agents on their roster in Christian Tupou, Brent Russell and Zach Minter.

Fluellen has played in 56 games with six starts over five seasons with the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins, recording 52 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble.

The Bears did need to free up a spot for rookie cornerback Maurice Jones. The Temple product agreed to terms on a deal with the Bears a week ago after an impressive minicamp, but was not immediately signed.

And like that the Bears are done.

The Bears agreed to terms with first-round pick guard Kyle Long, the 20th overall selection, on a four-year deal with an option late Friday. Long was the last remaining draft pick of their 2013 class to reach a deal with the Bears.

"I just know that Chicago is one of the most historic football towns in the country," Long said after he was drafted. "There are Chicago Bears fans everywhere in the world. The 'C' on the helmet is synonymous with success and tremendous football. That's what I'm most excited about, coming to Chicago and being part of the Bears organization."

After seeing others leave this offseason for bigger titles, the Bears promoted another one of their own on Thursday, making Mark Sadowski their senior national scout.

Sadowski, a St. Rita graduate, joined the Bears in 2005 and spent last year as one of the team's national scouts. He has 16 years of NFL scouting experience, beginning with the New Orleans Saints (1998-2005).

"Mark has been essential in the scouting and the evaluation of player talent since joining the Bears," general manager Phil Emery said in a statement. "He has also been integral in establishing how we are using technology to elevate our scouting process and personnel operations."

It should be no news here. But for what it's worth, here's what Bears general manager Phil Emery said about former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher during an interview with Alex Marvez and Gil Brandt on SiriusXM NFL Radio late Wednesday.

Emery was asked about the chances of Urlacher re-signing with the Bears.

"Brian was a great player and still is a great player," Emery said. "I have the utmost respect for Brian. As I've told people before, I've got far too many gray hairs to never say never. But obviously we've made an investment in terms of bringing a couple of key veterans in and drafting a couple rookies. So I would say that that is less likely to happen than more likely."