There has certainly been a lot of chatter over the last few days about a very controversial decision by the Chicago Bears that some fans felt was a slap in the face of one of their legends.
The Bears announced rookie jersey numbers, and second-round pick center Logan Jones notably took number 54. That number, of course, is directly tied to Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, who sparked a lot of conversations that included Urlacher's wife taking to social media to say that the Bears and Jones did not reach out about using the number. Well, Urlacher finally spoke out on the subject and seemed okay with it.
"Bears don't need to ask permission," Urlacher said in a social media post. "They own the number. George called me and informed me which I appreciated and was happy for Logan will be repping it!!"
Brian Urlacher is okay with Logan Jones having his old jersey number
There really should be more of a question about why number 54 is still available and not retired by the Bears' franchise. Urlacher is widely regarded as one of the best linebackers of the last three decades and should have had his number retired a long time ago.
It's good to see that the former Bears linebacker is taking the high road and giving his blessing for Jones to have it. Urlacher might not be thrilled about it, but technically, he is right about the Bears owning the number; there are unwritten rules the franchise might not have followed.
Jones will have a lot more pressure put on him now that he is wearing the jersey number of one of the top five greatest players in franchise history. He's expected to be the future starter at center to replace Drew Dalman and potentially Garrett Bradbury as well.
Read more: Ben Johnson pulled no punches on what he saw in Bears' 2026 draft selection
If Jones ends up being a bust, there are going to be a lot more questions about how the Bears handle these kinds of situations in the future.
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