Bears coach Marc Trestman has been very busy working the phones recently, calling player after player after player as he settles into his new job.
And that includes linebacker Brian Urlacher.
The future of Urlacher is very much uncertain. When asked about Urlacher, Trestman and other coaches often said Thursday at the Walter Payton Center that the organization is currently evaluating personnel and that no decisions have been made.
"The organization is going through that process," Trestman said. "I'm excited to come here because Brian Urlacher has been such an important part of this and I've watched him to play. But again, to talk about where that thing is going would be premature for me to talk about at this time."
Trestman spoke with Urlacher, who was in Arizona, for 30 to 40 minutes over the phone.
"He was great," Trestman said. "We just talked generally about the team and not specifically about his situation. I asked him about the team and our locker room and tried to gather as much information I can to do a better job as we move through the spring."
Urlacher, 34, is an unrestricted free agent and is coming off a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the final four games of last season. Free agency begins on March 12.
According to Trestman, Urlacher did make it clear that he would like to remain with the Bears.
"I don't think there was any question that he loves Chicago and this is a place he'd like to be," Trestman said. "There was no question there, and I'll leave it at that. I don't think it's anymore than that.
"As I've said, coming in here as I have, I'm not as attuned to the entire situation. Certainly, the economics and all the things that go into it, that's a thing that's going to be a process between Brian and the organization as we move forward."
Former Bears safety and current defensive quality control coach Chris Harris believes Urlacher's picture and jersey will be hanging at Halas Hall one day, but he has no idea if Urlacher will return.
"I wish I knew," Harris said. "We're still evaluating everything."
New linebackers coach Tim Tibesar said the decision surrounding Urlacher will be made collectively.
"The guiding principle that is always going to be put in place is that we're always going to do what's in the best interests of the Chicago Bears," Tibesar said. "However that decision gets made, I know that decision is going to be made with what's in the best interests for the entire organization.
"As a coach, one of the things I've always looked at is I'm going to coach whoever they put out on the field just as hard as anybody else. It doesn't matter who they are or whether they were drafted in the first round or they were an undrafted free agent. We're going to coach the heck out of them and try to get them to play great football."
Tibesar, though, does see a player who can still contribute. According to the Bears' final statistics, Urlacher finished with 86 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, four quarterback pressures, seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception returned for a touchdown.
"Brian has had a phenomenal career here with the Bears," Tibesar said. "You watch the film and he's not done playing football. He's still a very good player in this league."
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