Biggs: Bite the bullet and pay off the remaining $3.5 million in guaranteed money remaining on his contract and move on. This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction to a missed 43-yard field-goal attempt in the playoff loss. Yes, the Bears would have won the game had Parkey made the kick. The Bears have said it was a team loss, and they’re right. Parkey is part of that and the problem with bringing him back is I’m not sure the coaching staff or management could have an appropriate level of confidence in him to perform his job next season. Parkey was 23-for-30 on field goals during the regular season (76.7 percent) and only the Vikings’ Dan Bailey (75 percent) and Steelers ’ Chris Boswell (65 percent) were worse. The Bears overpaid to sign Parkey in free agency and keep him from returning to the Dolphins with a deal that included $9 million guaranteed. It’s not fair for teammates to have to answer questions about the kicker again next season. It’s a production-based business. The challenge for general manager Ryan Pace and his staff will be finding the right replacement. Bears kickers have made 76 percent of their field-goal tries over the last three years and only the Buccaneers (72.8 percent) have been worse. Some have suggested re-signing Robbie Gould , a free agent, and I wouldn’t rule that out. But if they bring Gould back they’re going to have an enormous amount of money and salary-cap space devoted to a kicker in 2019, a position that is very replaceable.

Campbell: Keep the revolving door spinning in search of someone more reliable. Eleven missed kicks, including two potential game-winning field goals — and one in the playoffs — constitutes failure. Plain and simple. With an otherwise promising roster, I can’t see how the Bears could feel assured in their championship aspirations with Parkey’s record of inconsistency and inaccuracy. How could they justify trotting him out next September with a game on the line? It wouldn’t be fair to anyone, including Parkey. And it wouldn’t match up with Pace’s record of steadfast determination to act with conviction in pursuit of improvement. The $3.5 million guaranteed to Parkey in 2019 is a sunk cost. It’s back to the drawing board.

Kane: Look for a new kicker this offseason. I don’t like advocating for the end of a player’s career, and perhaps Parkey can rebound to be a solid kicker elsewhere, but I just can’t see how the Bears can trust him to do it in Chicago. The fan tension surrounding Parkey has been building since his four-doink day against the Lions in early November, and I’m not sure I’d believe anyone who said they didn’t have an ominous feeling as he took the field to try for the winner Sunday, even if the thought of him hitting another upright was inconceivable. It would seem best for Parkey (who still will get paid next season), the Bears and the fans to part ways before it gets any uglier.