NFL Free Agency 2011: Is Marc Bulger Done in the NFL?

With it looking more and more as though Marc Bulger will be left unsigned and off an NFL roster this year, one would have to wonder if his time in the NFL is over.

It once looked as if Bulger would become one of the best quarterbacks of the near future, reaching 1,000 completions faster than any quarterback in NFL history and doing so in just 45 games.

Bulger made his mark filling in as the St. Louis Rams' third-string quarterback back in 2002 and helped lead the team to a 6-0 record after they were off to an 0-5 start.

Bulger's last quality season came back in 2006, when he threw for 4,301 yards and 24 touchdowns with just eight interceptions.

After his stellar season, he garnered a $62.5-million contract—$27 million guaranteed—and his career has been downhill ever since.

In the four seasons since his career-best year in '06, Bulger has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns each year. Bulger has only managed to rack up 6,581 yards and 27 touchdowns while throwing 34 interceptions in three seasons.

He didn't take a snap last season.

With his NFL career looking as though it has hit a dead end, Bulger is going to have to make some decisions regarding his future in professional football.

One way that he can try to play his way back into NFL relevance is to sign with the UFL and have a tremendous season.

J.P. Losman was down on his luck in the NFL and took a chance at the UFL with the Las Vegas Locos. The year after leading the Locos to the UFL title, Losman was picked up by the Oakland Raiders as a backup QB.

As the options start to dry up for Bulger, he must make decision like going to the UFL, where a player rarely makes $1 million per season as Losman did in his stint with the Locos. Taking that big of a pay cut is not something many NFL players are willing to do, but in Bulger's case it may be necessary.

Bulger will need to decide now if he wants to become a journeyman quarterback, possibly shifting between the UFL and NFL, or if it is time for him to hang it up and call it a career.