Olin Kreutz Epilogue
There is no good epilogue, I just think it’s a shame that it had to come to this. The best way to have resolved the impasse would have been to sign Kreutz to a one-year contract while they groomed his replacement, allowing for a more graceful exit for this legendary Bear. But is was not to be.
Both the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune have interesting pieces today on how terrible the negotiations went. Maybe the line won’t miss a beat, but Kreutz’ colleagues will miss him and his leadership. We can only hope for the best.
After the 2009 season, I was surprised the Bears kept him.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-12-27/sports/0912270002_1_olin-kreutz-jay-cutler-snap
Players are expected to show complete loyalty to their team. However they in return get discarded like pieces of trash. It’s an absolute shame how Kreutz was treated.
I completely disagree. He was offered $4m for a year and he wanted $4.5. Just as in the player’s strike, these guys negotiate on principle and comparative salaries and not on practicalities. Think about this, he was offered a 1 year deal and at his age, it was probably a fair offer.
I am not saying we should not regard his contribution at the position and his role with the team over the years. He has been a fine center. However, this is a business and it is about performance and price. We need a strong C and while Olin might have a couple more seasons in him, the Bears have a lot of other vacancies to fill.