The Chicago Bears have all but agreed publicly about their "buyers' remorse" over the huge contract extension given to quarterback Jay Cutler. Cutler's handling of the sticky situation in Chicago could have made him even more attractive to teams looking for a veteran quarterback.
"Jay Cutler, in contrast, gave every NFL general manager searching for a veteran quarterback reason to flirt with danger this offseason," wrote David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune. "It doesn't matter if anybody in Chicago agrees.
"It only matters that one executive from, say, the Jets, Rams, Titans or another gullible team was impressed enough to consider taking on his massive contract. Suffice to say the Bears quarterback's performance Friday was his strongest of 2014, on or off the field."
Cutler acknowledged offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer's comments in a classy fashion, refusing to snipe back at him through the media. Still, the Bears have posted just two winning seasons with Cutler under center since 2009.
ESPN's Field Yates also weighed in on potential Cutler trade talks, noting the difficulty of moving the veteran signal-caller.
"Jay Cutler is sort of like the NFC version of [Andy] Dalton: His good days can be terrific, while his bad days doom the rest of the team. GM Phil Emery has been an ardent public supporter of Cutler -- signing him to a huge extension this past offseason -- but his turnover rate is difficult to ignore (40 in his past 38 games). Trading Cutler and his contract might be difficult, while cutting him after this season would be an expensive pill to swallow (Cutler would be paid $15.5 million by the Bears in that scenario). Given the financial implications, Chicago looks tied to Cutler."
