Briggs says he might return

Odds are Lance Briggs will play his last two games with the Bears the next two Sundays, but the three-time Pro Bowler has had plenty of time to contemplate his departure.

"I've thought about that for the last three years straight, (that) this may be the last year here or what's going to happen if we have to move on," said Briggs, who will be a free agent after the season.

"Right now that's really out of my hands. All I can do is play football and worry about that stuff in the off-season. Every football season, I try to handle football, and then every off-season, try to handle the business side."

Briggs' business dealings with the Bears have been contentious the past two years.

He turned down a six-year, $33 million offer in the spring of 2006 and then initially balked when the Bears made him their "franchise" player last off-season, which kept him off the open market of free agency but guaranteed him a 2007 salary of $7.2 million, a 1,000 percent increase over his 2006 compensation.

That history doesn't bode well for any future agreement, but Briggs claims he's not shutting any doors.

"I can see myself in a lot of uniforms," he said of the 2008 season. "Honestly, I can see myself in a Chicago uniform. If things work out that way, which I hope they will, then I'll be back.

"I know that I've definitely given my heart to Chicago, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I've had the best time. I've never been around a city that's so in tune with their team. It's been amazing. It's been a great ride."

Sitting and steaming: The surprising coaching decision to make No. 3 tight end John Gilmore one of the team's seven inactive players Monday night snapped his streak of playing in 61 straight games and left the Penn State product miffed.

"It wasn't cool," Gilmore said. "It was unexpected. I was very upset. Nothing was really made clear to me."

Gilmore has just 21 catches in his six seasons with the Bears, but he's a valuable extra blocker in running situations and on special teams. His inactivity against at Minnesota had more to do with injuries on defense necessitating some lineup juggling than any negative statement about his performance.

Gilmore, who will be a free agent in the off-season, said he's not taking a one-game demotion as a bad omen.

"As far as (re-)signing, I'm not going to look at it as the writing on the wall," he said.

Taking a break: Defensive end Mark Anderson (knee), linebackers Lance Briggs (hip) and Rod Wilson (quad), wide receiver Devin Hester (shin), defensive tackles Tommie Harris (knee) and Darwin Walker (elbow), cornerback Nate Vasher (groin) and quarterback Rex Grossman (knee) all missed Wednesday's practice.