Bears Blitz

Published by Bear Heiser on December 22, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

No. The answer is no—without a doubt, no.

Jay Cutler shouldn’t be anywhere near a football field for the remainder of the season. Wrap him in bubble wrap and ship him back to Nashville until further notice.

That’s the short answer. For the long answer, please continue.

The Chicago Bears need to protect Cutler as if he were holding a map to the fountain of youth.

Back on Nov. 12, after the Week 10 loss to Green Bay, it was suggested here that Cutler be benched. Fast-forward to Dec. 16 when it was suggested here once again that Cutler be benched. Fast-forward once more to Dec. 17 when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Cutler would be benched in favor of Jimmy Clausen.

Head coach Marc Trestman told the media the following day that he felt Clausen could give the Bears offense a “spark.”

“This was a coaching decision,” Trestman said of the switch. “And the people that I work with in the building all said, ‘This is a coaching decision, make the coaching decision that you think is appropriate for this time.’”

How a quarterback who had not started a game since 2010 could provide a spark to a 5-10 team is very questionable. The decision Trestman felt “appropriate” didn’t pan out, not even a little bit, as evidenced by the Bears’ 20-14 loss to the Lions. But that’s only because the issues with the Bears offense stretch far beyond the quarterback position in the direction of the head coach. After the game, Clausen seemed pleased by his performance, via Bears sideline reporter Zach Zaidman:

The former Notre Dame quarterback completed 23-of-39 passes for 181 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. The 14 points scored by the Bears tied a season low, likely proving that it’s Trestman’s system that’s broken, not any one single quarterback.

Now here we are on Dec. 22, one game into the Clausen era, and the question of “Should Cutler remain benched?” is being asked. You should know the answer to this question already. Protect Cutler, that’s all that matters anymore.

The only thing the Bears are playing for next week is draft position, so why even think about risking injury to the franchise quarterback. Even when he’s throwing interceptions and fumbling to the opposition, Cutler still is the Bears franchise quarterback, simply because of the money he makes.

Whether or not Bears fans like it, Cutler is going to play an enormous role in this organization’s future. If he’s under center next season or he’s traded during the offseason, as Schefter suggested as a possibility, the Bears need Cutler to be in pristine condition.

As Schefter lays it out, dealing Cutler to another team might require the Bears to do something no NFL team has ever done before:

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.

Based on what Schefter is suggesting, the Bears might also have to send a high-value draft pick to any team that would be willing to take on Cutler’s hefty contract. Wow.

So, yeah, the Bears have $26 million reasons (seen various figures, this one seems to be the most common) to let Clausen play the final game of the season, on the road against the slightly less bad Minnesota Vikings. As we sit here now, Cutler is already set to make $16 million guaranteed in 2015, according to Spotrac.com. On top of that, when the calendar strikes March 13, 2015, $10 million of the $16 million he’s due in 2016 becomes guaranteed.

By March 13, Cutler will be another $26 million richer, whether it’s paid out by the Bears or another NFL team. That’s an awfully large investment to put at risk.

The Bears simply cannot afford to be careless when it comes to Cutler’s future. There are NFL quarterbacks who currently have starting jobs who are worse than Cutler at his lowest of lows. There are worse positions to be in (probably). If 2014 Cutler is the low point, then, if a reasonable trade isn’t an option, why not see what he can do with another coaching staff in place?

Mike Shanahan, Cutler’s former coach in Denver, had some more-than-positive things to say about the quarterback he once drafted, via ESPN.com’s John Keim.

I just know being with him in Denver . . . that he’s got all the intangibles. Now, can you get that out of him? I really believe in Jay but he has to make a commitment that he’s going to get better and better. It’s going to be a group decision to get him over the top, but he is a franchise-type quarterback.

While we don’t yet know how much or how little the folks who matter believe in Cutler, it’s good to know there’s someone out there who sounds like he’d jump at the opportunity to get back in the game with Cutler as his “franchise-type quarterback.”

Trestman hasn’t yet made an announcement as to who will start against Minnesota, but it more than likely will be Clausen.

Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune seems to agree that Trestman’s leaning toward Clausen: 

Come Sunday morning, the only place we should see Cutler’s name is on the top line of the inactive list. 

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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