Chicago Bears: Who Will Start At Quarterback in 2015?

Jay Cutler

The Bears are clearly over Cutler’s act, with the ill-timed interceptions, the lack of on-field leadership and absolutely no evidence of development. He’s a 31-year-old quarterback who has been in the league for nine years and we’re all still waiting for him to mature into a franchise quarterback. At this point it’s fair to say it will never happen.

This year, despite having receivers like Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery and running back Matt Forte, Cutler has somehow completely imploded. In 14 games he has completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 3,640 yards, with 28 touchdowns but he’s also thrown an NFL-worst 18 interceptions. Additionally, he has a league-high 24 turnovers. He has a howitzer for an arm but will likely never have what it takes mentally. He is this generation’s Jeff George.

As I mentioned before, Cutler’s contract will be incredibly difficult to move. It was a deal that puzzled me back in January when it was agreed upon. Cutler hadn’t shown himself to be an elite quarterback, but the Bears paid him like one. That deal will likely lead to general manager Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman being fired at the end of this season.

Whoever comes in and takes over for Angelo and Trestman will likely want to go in a new direction at quarterback, but if they can’t unload Cutler’s albatross of a contract, they may be stuck with him for at least a year. Cutler is due $15.5 million in 2015 and $16 million in 2016, both of those salaries are guaranteed. If the Bears still can’t find a taker after next season, cutting him for the one-time cap hit of $16 million may be inevitable.

As of right now, it is probably most likely that Cutler is in Chicago next year. The dream scenario for the Bears would be a team offering a fourth-round pick for Cutler and taking his entire contract. The chances of that happening are almost non-existent.

Next: Mark Sanchez