the bears offered urlacher 2 million and never came off that number, he wanted 5-6 million. so there is that answer.
veterans over 30 are getting less and less offered to them unless the are QB's expect to see this accelerate while the caps stays flat
leaders are now expendable
I think I heard somewhere that Urlacher also wanted multiple years. If true that probably killed the deal more than anything else. I do agree with the people that think the Bears probably lowballed him a bit. If I were the Bears I might have given him 3 or 4 million for one final year, and would be looking for a future replacement at this moment. The way he's been going he's on his last legs barring some unexpected resurgence. He hasn't deteriorated as much as Ray Lewis did last year, but he's getting close to that point. He's also been injured the last couple of years and the age doesn't make it seem like that going to be any more unlikely going foreword.
I don't have anything against Urlacher or him leaving though, and I'm a Bears fan. In the same situation if I still wanted to play I would do the same thing. I also wouldn't think either side owed something to the other in this situation unless it was mutual, and even then it should never come above what's best for the team.