The Bears are “actively” looking to trade quarterback Jay Cutler, according to Jeff Darlington of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Cutler was informed of Chicago’s plan when it began in mid-January, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
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Chicago is expected to move on from Cutler this offseason, and while a release still looks like the expected outcome, a trade is certainly possible given the dearth of signal-callers around the league. Cutler, 33, is signed for four more seasons with cap charges between $16MM and $21.7MM each year. Nearly all of those figures are tied up in base salary, so while an acquiring club would be responsible for those totals, none of that money is guaranteed, meaning Cutler would essentially be a year-to-year proposition.
In the past month, Cutler has been loosely linked to a couple of quarterback-needy teams, including the 49ers and Jets, though no club has expressed solid interest (the Cardinals, for one, are decidedly not interested). That no team has begun strong negotiations for Cutler is unsurprising given both his salary and the results of his 2016 campaign, during which he was hampered by injuries and managed a Total Quarterback Rating of just 33.1 in five starts.
Dealing Cutler would allow the Bears to not only clear $14MM in cap space (vaulting them into the top-five in terms of NFL room), but signify the official start of Chicago’s hunt for a new quarterback. Matt Barkley remains on the roster as a restricted free agent, while veteran Brian Hoyer is unrestricted but could be retained. However, the Bears will likely explore all avenues as it searches for a franchise passer, undertaking a lengthy exercise by scouring both the draft and trade market.
I’d be surprised if anyone trades for him since he will be cut within the next couple weeks. Is anyone really desperate to have Jay Cutler and that salary on their roster?
The sky is also blue.
I feel that if this site were CNN, the headline would be accompanied by “BREAKING NEWS.”
If this site were CNN they would figure out how to blame Trump for the Cutler situation
I’ll trade him for Kristin Cavallari. She can’t be much worse.
So how long until Mary Kay Cabot tells us the Browns should trade for him?
He would instantly be the best QB the Browns had in over 50 years.
Nope. Kosar was better, maybe even Sipe.
Disagree. The Browns have had pathetic QBs. It’s almost impossible to be that bad…you would think just by chance, of those times they would get it right. But they never did and were never close. Cutler stinks but he would provide talent at the QB position in Cleveland that hasn’t been seen in 50 plus years. The Bears QB history is also bad, but the Browns are the absolute worst by a large margin.
San Fran, Jets, Texans
Jay would be great in a stable environment. As a Bears fan, the changing of coaches and offensive coordinators has hurt him. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in Miami. Gase will be safe for three years, which would be the stability Jay needs if the current starter isn’t the answer.
I think he would be a good starter in Miami too but that Tannehill deal is no joke. I doubt Jay is going to sign anywhere to be a backup.