Jay Cutler gave his best to the Chicago Bears from 2009 to 2016. He put up a lot of yards, a lot of touchdowns and provided plenty of great highlights. In the end a mix of injuries, inconsistency and ineptitude led to things not working out between the two sides. Word has since arrived that the organization is prepared to go in a different direction at quarterback.
GM Ryan Pace is reportedly exploring the league for potential takers in a trade. A difficult scenario given most already know the Bears will cut him if they fail. Then again there might be something else making the matter difficult. Something from Cutler himself according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
Moving Jay Cutler may not be easy for Chicago to do, according to @JasonColeBR pic.twitter.com/RybxJxxgvY
— Bleacher Report NFL (@BR_NFL) February 23, 2017
First of all it’s not like Cutler is a high value trade asset anyway. The best the Bears could hope for in a deal would be no more than a sixth round pick. Even so this move shouldn’t come as a surprise. The list of teams involved in a potential play for Cutler aren’t exactly encouraging. San Francisco and the Jets are the two with the high rumor rates. They were also two of the worst teams in the NFL last season.
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Like any older quarterback (he turns 34 in April) Cutler knows his time is running out. His chances of winning a Super Bowl are slipping away fast. In such conditions a player would much rather be able to choose the team he plays for rather than have the team that doesn’t want him anymore choose it for him. This would explain his perceived threat of retirement if the Bears were to force his hand.
Maybe not the greatest news for Chicago, but it’s hard to blame him. He has no reason to be loyal to the organization any longer. Not since he’s all but gone already. It’s about business now and smart business says he must try to gain an edge into where he plays next. This is his best avenue.
