After months of speculation, a harrowing escape and as near to death as he ever got, Derek Morgan has finally decided to leave the BAU. While his farewell tugged at the heartstrings, what does his departure mean for "Criminal Minds" moving forward?

"Criminal Minds" season 11 had several Morgan-centric episodes — starting from episode 16, "Derek," and culminating in episode 18, "A Beautiful Disaster" — that beautifully laid down the foundation for the character's exit.

Shemar Moore, who played tough guy Morgan for 11 seasons, revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he decided to leave the show even before negotiations for their new contract started. However, "Criminal Minds" showrunner Erica Messer and the show's writers convinced him to stay so they can give him and his character a proper send-off.

"Erica promised me she'd take care of me and Derek, ... and my final hurrah, I got challenged as an actor, and Erica gave me such a beautiful sendoff," Moore said. "It's a culmination of everything we all brought to life and what Derek earned — all in 43 minutes."

With Morgan off to raise a family in peace, fans are wondering what will happen to the BAU. Messer admitted in her TV Guide interview that no one can replace Derek Morgan and that so far, there hasn't been any discussion regarding how the show will move forward.

However, Messer did tease the idea of past agents coming in for a consult, much like the way Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) will do in episode 19, "Tribute." Prentiss' return was confirmed by CBS way back in February and fans have been anticipating her appearance ever since.

The profiler, who's now with Interpol, is reportedly working with her old team in order to catch a serial killer, something that the trailer for the upcoming episode hints at as well. The short clip starts with Hotch (Thomas Gibson) inspecting a crime scene, followed by a scene of Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) talking about "the most famous serial killer in the past 150 years." There are also scenes showing a man literally kissing a bullet, Rossi (Joe Mantegna) wondering who the UnSub plans to copy next time, and Prentiss working with JJ (A.J Cook) and Dr. Lewis (Aisha Tyler). As the trailer ends, viewers can see a man in a hoodie, with creepy laughter ringing in the background.

Despite a serial killer on the loose, episode 19 promises to be a bittersweet one as one of the BAU's best agents returns just as a colleague left.

"Criminal Minds" season 11 will air a new episode on March 30.