The Chicago Bears are heading into the 2015 with a new head coach in John Fox and general manager in Ryan Pace and now they have to decide whether to trade Jay Cutler this offseason and if they explore that move, teams like the Washington Redskins, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns could be interested in acquiring him.
The Bears come into the offseason after firing Marc Trestman and Phil Emery and now John Fox takes over after four years with the Broncos. The Bears were one of the most disappointing teams in the league last season and they won just five games before Trestman was let go. The team cleaned house and they could continue that if they trade Cutler, who was benched in Week 16 for backup Jimmy Clausen. Trestman had no choice, as he was trying to save his job, but it put Cutler's future a bit up in the air.
Cutler had just signed a seven year deal and was the highest paid player in football last season and now he is set to make a guaranteed $15 million. Emery, who signed him to the deal, is no longer with the team and there is a chance they could explore a trade. According to Pro Football Talk, Fox was "noncommittal" about Cutler in his first press conference with the team after taking the job and while he would be difficult to trade, there are teams out there with enough cap space and that need a quarterback. The Bears went 5-11 and missed the playoffs and while Cutler did not have a terrible season stat-wise, overall he did not play well.
Cutler led the league in interceptions and turnovers despite setting career highs in touchdowns and completion percentage and now he may have to prove himself again. The Bears were a massive disappointment, as they have some strong offensive talent with Brandon Marshall, Martellus Bennett, Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery. Cutler would have played in 16 games for the Bears for the first time since back in 2009 had he not been benched and he put up his second highest total of passing yards in his career.
Trestman's defense was a mess and now Fox is likely to overhaul that side of the ball and he has brought in Adam Gase to take over the offense. Gase helped Peyton manning and the Broncos have one of the highest scoring offenses in the league under Fox and now he may get the chance to do it with Cutler. One positive note for Cutler is the Bears bringing in quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains, as he and Cutler have a "strong, personal relationship". That could be big for Cutler if he wants to bounce back and it comes after Cutler previously lobbied Lovie Smith to hire him when he was coach.
The Redskins likely will stick with RG3 over making a big trade, but they once were interested in Cutler before he was originally moved. The Browns have issues with Johnny Manziel and with Brian Hoyer a free agent, they could look at using their league high amount of draft picks to deal. The Texans have a strong team already and just need a solid quarterback and Cutler could be a potential target. Cutler also has connections to Tennessee from college and could be an option if the Titans pass on taking Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota.