CHICAGO – Brian Urlacher said Tuesday he might have kept playing for the Bears if John Fox had replaced Lovie Smith after the 2012 regular season.

“I would have wanted to play more because of Coach Fox,” Urlacher said on “The Waddle and Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000.

Brian Urlacher said he might have postponed retirement with Jay Cutler and the Bears if John Fox had been the coach. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

“I’ve always been a huge fan of Coach Fox. I’ve known him for 12 or 13 years, so my desire would have been greater [to keep playing] because of him. It’s hard when you go from Lovie to anything else, because I’m so accustomed to playing for him and doing what he does in that defense, but the desire to keep going would have been there with Coach Fox and his football knowledge and what he brings to the table.”

Fox, of course, wasn’t available in 2013, as he coached the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl that season. The Bears eventually settled on Marc Trestman after an exhaustive search.

That’s around the time Urlacher’s 13-year stint in Chicago abruptly ended. An unrestricted free agent, Urlacher was unable to come to terms on a new deal with ex-general manager Phil Emery, who released a statement saying the eight-time Pro Bowl selection and former NFL Defensive Player of the Year would not be re-signed.

Urlacher accused the Bears of negotiating in bad faith and stayed away from the organization until the Bears hired Fox and general manager Ryan Pace in January.

“From the day I retired, I still talked to [team chairman] George McCaskey,” Urlacher said. “Ryan Pace contacted me, and of course Coach Fox contacted me. It feels nice to go back into Halas Hall and not feel weird. It’s nice to see some of the people that worked there when I played: the trainers, equipment guys and field guys. It’s nice.”