A groin injury has caused Lance Briggs to be put on injured reserve by the Chicago Bears and it’s not likely that he will return to the team.
A 12-year veteran, Briggs suffered a groin injury in the second quarter of the team's Nov. 23 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the ailment kept the linebacker out of Thursday's loss to the Detroit Lions.
During the team's pregame show on WBBM, Bears general manager said Briggs would be "out for an extended period of time."
A seven-year Pro Bowler with a contract set to expire at the end of the season, Briggs, 34, isn't expecting the Bears to put an offer on the table prior to him hitting free agency.
Briggs said, "It's the last year of my deal. It's not like I'm going to magically show up after this year, and they're going to open the gates up for you, I've talked to my buddy [former Bears defensive end] Alex Brown. Those gates are closing, you're a free agent. I know the reality of it, and I'm proud of all the years I've had here. It's been great."
Prior to sitting out Thursday's game, Briggs missed three other games this season due to a rib injury.Briggs currently earns $4.75 million in base salary from a three-year extension he signed in 2012, but likely won't be able to command such a salary to return to the Bears in 2015. Briggs said "I don't know" when asked whether he thinks 2014 will be his last season in the NFL.
Source: ESPN
