Pat Mannelly knew very well that Brad Maynard was a free agent and that could signal the end of his long run with the Chicago Bears.

But the long snapper did everything he could to block the possibility out of his mind. It became reality today when the Tribune reported the Bears have informed Maynard, 37, he is no longer in the team's plans.

"It's been 10 years we've worked together and you just never think it's going to end," Mannelly said. "It caught me off guard.

Any time you are a free agent, it can happen. But it's unbelievably sad to see him go. It's going to be difficult to find someone to fill those shoes as smooth as we operated with Robbie (Gould) and as good of a punter as Brad is."

Maynard figures to find a team interested in him, the Washington Redskins possibly among them.

"I have no doubt someone is going to go after him hard," Mannelly said. "I think he has a few years, maybe more than a few years remaining."

That puts the Bears in the market for a punter, as they have untested Richmond McGee under contract. Free agent Steve Weatherford is a serious candidate to replace Maynard.

bmbiggs@tribune.com

Twitter @BradBiggs