However Rick bows out of the series, we can evidently expect to see Andrew Lincoln’s contributions respected and honored.
But he presumably won’t be abruptly killed off a la Beth.
Angela Kang’s comments to EW seem to point toward the show honoring what Andrew Lincoln did with Rick by giving him a respectful sendoff.
Rick has certainly been on a wild ride throughout the first eight years of the series, and the trailer indicates that his final episodes in Season 9 won’t be easy on him.