The Chicago Bears are coming into 2015 with a new general manager and head coach with Ryan Pace and John Fox taking over and moving forward a Jay Cutler trade could still be on the table, as teams like the Washington Redskins, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets could potentially consider making a move for the quarterback.
The Bears had a losing season in 2014 and the franchise moved on from Phil Emery and Marc Trestman and now Fox takes over after being hired by GM Ryan Pace. According to Pro Football Talk, Fox was "noncommittal" when asked about Cutler's future in his opening press conference, but it's early in the process and that doesn't give a signal about what the team will do. Cutler was benched in Week 16 of the season for Jimmy Clausen and hit future is up in the air with $15.5 million coming his way next year.
Cutler's contract will be very hard to move and that is one reason why the Bears likely will hold onto him. Cutler actually had one of his better statistical seasons last year, but the team was not winning and he led the league in interceptions and turnovers. Cutler put up 3812 yards and a career best 28 touchdowns and he also set a career high with a 66 percent clip completing his passes. While Cutler did turn over the ball too much, he still is one of the more talented players in the league.
Adam Gase was brought in to take over as offensive coordinator and that could be another positive sign for Cutler. Gase ran the offense for Peyton Manning the past two years and the Broncos led the league in scoring and with similar personnel, the Bears should be able to improve. According to ESPN.com, Fox brought in quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains and that is a positive development for Cutler, as the former Titans assistant reportedly "pushed hard for Tennessee to draft Cutler over Vince Young in 2006."
That already is a much better sign for Fox and Cutler moving forward, as they did not get off to the best start, with Fox accidentally calling him "Jake" multiple times in his opening press conference. Although a trade for Cutler remains a possibility, it is very likely that Fox sticks with Cutler as his quarterback. Fox has shown over his career that he can handle all types of quarterbacks and still be successful, as he took teams led by Jake Delhomme, Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning to the playoffs.
Cutler signed a huge deal with the Bears last offseason and that makes him hard to trade and now Fox and Gase will be looking for Cutler to have a bounce back season if he returns. Cutler put up solid numbers last year, but it was his play overall in the offense that forced Trestman to bench him and now he could be moved by Pace if he finds the right deal. But with the offensive personnel of the Bears, Gase should have no problem getting the offense back on track and that will allow Fox to fix the broken defense.