Bears veteran Charles Tillman on NFL future: 'I'm not going to stop 'til I'm dead'

Tom Pelissero | USA TODAY Sports

Charles Tillman turns 34 next week. The longtime Chicago Bears cornerback has accomplished every individual goal he wanted. He has a wife and four children, who could turn his offseason "Mr. Mom" duties into a full-time job whenever he chooses.

Yet even after consecutive seasons cut short by injuries as he enters free agency, Tillman has no interest in walking away now – or approaching his 13th NFL season as a last chance to remind everyone how productive and durable he has been.

"I love the game. I'm not going to stop 'til I'm dead," Tillman told USA TODAY Sports recently. "Obviously, I can't play until I'm like 50 or 60. But I just want to keep going. I'm feeling good. I just have unfinished business. I want a championship. I think that's my main reason (to keep playing): I'm hungry for a championship."

There are plenty of players who feel that way by this stage: more years behind them than ahead, little left to do except earn a Super Bowl ring and the legacy that comes with it. For many, that means pushing onward even as their skills plainly diminish.

Where Tillman could be different is he probably played his best football in 2012, when he forced a forced a career-high 10 fumbles – most of them with his trademark punch-out technique – and earned all-pro honors before what he calls "fluke" injuries struck the next fall.

He tore the triceps tendon in his right arm in the eighth game of the Bears' 2013 season and again in the second game of 2014, the latter while trying to push San Francisco 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree out of bounds on a scramble play.

"The positive is I haven't had that much wear tear on my body in those two years. I've had time to heal up really good," said Tillman, who missed 12 games total over his first 10 seasons.

"I think my resume speaks for itself. All 10 years of playing (through) multiple injuries – it takes a lot to keep me off (the field). But this one, I couldn't go because I couldn't protect myself."

Tillman said he's ahead of schedule in his recovery from surgery and estimated he's 80% back to normal, with the rest to come before free agency opens March 10. He's training at a facility outside Chicago, but the chances of him playing another game for the Bears are unclear.

Re-signed to a one-year, $3.25 million contract last year, Tillman says he's had only a "hi and bye" interaction with new Bears general manager Ryan Pace and coach John Fox. He's not ruling out anything but is open to all 32 teams – preferably ones he thinks can win now.

"That's the business," Tillman said. "I'm trying to feed my kids. So, whatever team's going to help me pay my bills and help me feed my family – let's go."

One NFL executive, speaking on condition of anonymity for competitive reasons, said Tillman can still play in the right scheme but will have to sign an incentive-laden, "prove it" type of deal because of his age and recent medical history. And it sounds like that'd be OK by Tillman, who feels like he's had to prove it his entire career.

He planned to follow his father, an Army sergeant, and other family members into the military if he didn't get a scholarship coming out of high school in Copperas Cove, Texas, and if he didn't get drafted out of Louisiana-Lafayette in 2003. He ended up a second-round pick and rewarded the Bears with 36 interceptions and 42 forced fumbles.

Helping military members is still one of Tillman's passions – he'll visit bases in Germany as part of a USO tour in April – and he has been active in a variety of other community causes, earning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for the 2013 season. But he gets most excited about discussing his children.

Last week, one of his daughters, Tiana, turned 7 years old – a milestone her parents weren't sure they'd see when she underwent a heart transplant as an infant. Tiana wants her dad to play in Hawaii, which will be tough, given there's no team there. Tillman plans to be suiting up someplace, though, and continuing his title pursuit as one of the NFL's oldest defensive players.

"This sport has been amazing to me," Tillman said. "I sit back and I look, I'm like, 'Man, I'm still playing football. Wow.' I'm so blessed. How lucky am I?

"I enjoy what I do, and I have fun doing it. And I think I'm OK at it. I've done all right. And if you don't think I can do all right, all I ask is a chance so I can prove myself. That's all I want. Just give me a chance, and I can show you better than I can tell you."

Twelve more notable players with at least 12 accrued seasons who can become unrestricted free agents in March:

Pos. Player 2014 team Yrs.

QB Matthew Hasselbeck Colts 16

WR Santana Moss Redskins 14

C Dominic Raiola Lions 14

WR Reggie Wayne Colts 14

ILB Larry Foote Cardinals 13

OLB Dwight Freeney Chargers 13

QB Michael Vick Jets 13

LB Lance Briggs Bears 12

CB Terence Newman Bengals 12

CB Ike Taylor Steelers 12

DE Osi Umenyiora Falcons 12

DT Kevin Williams Seahawks 12