April 2nd, 2009 was a rather momentous day in Chicago Bears history. It was the day they pulled off the blockbuster trade for quarterback Jay Cutler. Most know the story by now. Cutler was a Pro Bowler in 2008 for the Denver Broncos. However the team finished a disappointing 8-8. This got longtime head coach Mike Shahana fired, leading to the hiring of Josh McDaniels.
The hotshot New England Patriots offensive coordinator was not impressed with Cutler and made it abundantly clear from their first meeting together. Shocked and disgusted with such treatment, Cutler demanded a trade out of town. The Broncos eventually complied. Chicago sent two 1st round picks, a 3rd round pick, and quarterback Kyle Orton to Denver in exchange for Cutler and a 5th rounder.
Cutler would go on to be the Bears starter for the next eight seasons, claiming every notable passing record in franchise history in the process. He made the playoffs in 2010 and got them to the NFC championship. However, he also showcased inconsistency and a lack of true leadership that got two head coaches fired.
It led many to wonder what might’ve happened to Chicago if that offseason had gone different. Well, one former team exec said it almost did.
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Chicago Bears briefly flirted with the idea of trading for Matt Cassel
Bobby DePaul, who was the Bears pro personnel director from 2001 to 2010, spoke to Dan Pompei of The Athletic in great detail about how the trade came to be. He explained how things started and revealed a fascinating nugget. Before the Bears began their pursuit of Cutler, former GM Jerry Angelo had another young quarterback he was intrigued by.
“As a staff, everybody felt pretty good about Kyle as our starting QB. The QB position was not a void, meaning we felt we could start and win with Kyle.
Jerry wanted my thoughts on a player New England put on the market (Matt Cassel), but I said he wasn’t any better than what we had in Kyle and told him I wasn’t excited about entering trade negotiations with New England. To my knowledge a trade was never explored after my opinion was given to Jerry.”
Cassel was a revelation during the 2008 season.
In place of the injured Tom Brady, the former 7th round pick threw for 3,693 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. With Brady expected back though, Cassel was set to become a free agent in 2009 but the Patriots used their franchise tag on him in order to keep him for a trade. Clearly DePaul wasn’t impressed, but it’s a fascinating idea.
Had the Bears made that trade, it would’ve cost them a 2nd round pick. Far less than what they eventually paid for Cutler. By retaining their two 1st rounders, they would’ve had an opportunity to secure some top level talent.
Players available at No. 18 in 2009:
Clay Matthews
Percy Harvin
Alex Mack
Jeremy Maclin
Vontae Davis
Michael OherPlayers available at No. 11 in 2010:
Jason Pierre-Paul
Earl Thomas
Demaryius Thomas
Dez Bryant
Maurkice Pouncey
Mike Iupati https://t.co/GcMVm1PLd3— Mark Potash (@MarkPotash) April 2, 2019
Cassel did go to a Pro Bowl in 2010 for the Chiefs, getting them to the playoffs. However, that proved to be his career peak and he eventually became a journeyman. It’s likely the Bears would’ve been hunting for a new quarterback no later than 2012. Given that was the year of Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson and Peyton Manning being a free agent? Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
Just another bit of fun speculation about how things could’ve been different.
