The Chicago Bears reportedly are shopping Brandon Marshall in a trade and the team may also look at trading Matt Forte or Jay Cutler this offseason, as John Fox could clean house after taking over Marc Trestman and if that happens, teams like the Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns, NY Jets or Tennessee Titans could be interested in making a deal.
The Bears are coming into the offseason after going just 5-11 in 2015 and they cleaned house by firing head coach Marc Trestman and GM Phil Emery. According to the Chicago Tribune, the Bears are looking for trade deal on the market for Brandon Marshall, as he is coming off of a disappointing season and has a high cap number. The Bears have Cutler coming back after being benched in 2014, while Matt Forte is coming into the final year of his deal and his future may also be unclear.
--UPDATEL Brandon Marshall has been traded to the Jets for a draft pick, according to reports.
Forte went to Twitter last week and mentioned trade rumors involving him and Marshall, commenting that he hoped to be a Bear for life. The trade of LeSean McCoy this week to the Bills could signal a willingness of some teams to trade top running backs and Forte could be next. The Bears have a new regime in charge and with Forte 29 years old and one of the most worked backs in football, the team could look at moving on.
Cutler has come up in trade rumors since he was benched in Week 16 of the season and while Trestman is no longer with the team, Fox could make a move. According to ESPN.com, Fox and Pace were "noncommittal" about both Marshall and Cutler when asked about it at the combine and that could signal a willingness to make a deal. ESPN Chicago reporter Michael C. Wright wrote an article detailing Cutler's issues, with "at least 10" former coaches from his past two coaching staffs bashing his leadership and ability to win a championship.
Some coaches used words like "renegade" and "rogue" to describe his style of play and none of that equals anything good for Cutler. The team signed Cutler to a seven year deal last year, but that was under Emery and now they could look at making a trade. Cutler was the highest paid player in football last season and he will have $10 million of his 2016 salary guaranteed next week and that could motivate the Bears to make a move. Last season Cutler did not have a terrible season statically, but overall the team was not consistent on offense and he led the league in turnovers.
Cutler set career highs in passing TDs and completion percentage, but the team won just five games and looked listless at times on offense. Moving Forte would be tough, as he is as productive as they come at RB, but the Bears may want to move on a year too early rather than too late. Forte is coming into the final year of his deal and if he wants more money, it could be an issue, as he is set to make nearly $8 million this season. Forte rushed for over 1000 yards last season and had over 100 receptions for 808 yards and 10 total touchdowns.