Joshua Rivera writing for GQ makes an interesting argument.

Kill Bond. It’s never been done before, and it would be the perfect way to end the Craig era, which also bears the unique distinction of being a stretch of Bond films with actual continuity. Cross the line the Craig films have flirted with, the one that suggests Bond is an archaic destabilizing force that needs to be put down. It’s remarkable, the clarity that Casino Royale had on this from the very start of Craig’s tenure. It’s a story where Bond’s superior, M, regards him with utter disdain, and makes it plain that he’s an archaic brute she’d rather do without—the implication being that the two are forever intertwined, and that if Bond becomes inessential, so does the respectable facade she represents.

This… works. What comes after is wide open and could seriously move the franchise into the 21st century.