Jay Cutler Trade: Bears May Have To Give Up Draft Pick, Too

Dec 4, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) in their game against the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 4, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) in their game against the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

If the Chicago Bears want to find a trade partner for quarterback Jay Cutler, they may have to go an unorthodox route to find a potential suitor. 


Jay Cutler was benched in favor of Jimmy Clausen and many believe he could be on the outs in Chicago following the season.

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There is one big problem, however, and that is Cutler’s huge price tag that total $25.5 million in guarantees. Finding a team willing to take on that salary may be tough, so the Bears would have to find a way to sweeten the pot.

According to Adam Schefter, the Bears may have to include a “decent draft pick” with Cutler just in order to get late-round compensation for their fallen star.

Schefter wrote on Facebook:

"Several NFL executives believe that it’s possible for Bears QB Jay Cutler to go from being benched to becoming a first-scenario, test-case trade. Never before has a team trading a player also had to give up draft-pick compensation to get rid of him. But some NFL executives believe that with any team having to absorb $25.5 million worth of guarantees in Cutler’s contract, the Bears might have to package a decent draft pick to get another team to take him.NFL rules dictate that nominal compensation must be exchanged between teams, but it could mean another team surrendering a late-round pick to Chicago for Cutler and a better pick.Such a scenario could enrage Bears fans, but to get a team to take on so much guaranteed money that could be used on valuable free agents and contract extensions, the Bears just might have to compensate a team with more than Cutler to do it."

This season has been a disaster in Chicago and the Cutler debacle is just the icing on the cake.

If Cutler’s struggles and Marc Trestman’s inability to develop his quarterback also end up costing the Bears a high draft pick, Bears fans will be calling for everyone’s heads. It could get ugly.

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