The Chicago Bears said earlier this offseason that they would not trade Jay Cutler, but as the draft gets closer than could change, as the team is interested in moving up to draft Marcus Mariota and the team may look at the Tennessee Titans as a potential option if they trade Cutler to take Mariota with the number two overall pick.
The Bears have been one of the most talked about teams in the offseason, as they had Cutler's future up in the air and they also traded Brandon Marshall. The team has a new GM in Ryan Pace and new head coach in John Fox and heading into the draft they could dramatically reshape the team. There was plenty of speculation about Cutler getting traded earlier in the offseason following his benching last year, but Fox came out and said that the quarterback would be sticking around.
But that may have changed a bit, as CBS Sports reports that the Bears could consider trading Cutler in an attempt to move up to draft Marcus Mariota. Bleacher Report reporter Jason Cole wrote this week that there is a lot of talk about Mariota in the Bears organization and that the QB has "gained more and more traction" in the eyes of the front office. Mariota has been mentioned as a target by the Bears, but they likely would have to move up to get him.
The Bears pick at number seven in the first round and while Mariota could be there for the team, it's very unlikely that he lasts that long. Mariota is considered the number two quarterback behind Jameis Winston in the draft and with the Buccaneers likely picking Winston, Mariota has become the most talked about player. Mariota won the Heisman trophy last year and led his Oregon team to the national title game.
The Bears have a new regime in place and while Cutler is a hard player to move because of his contract, there is a chance a team like the Titians could be interested. The team has the number two overall pick in the draft and for anyone that wants Mariota, it's likely they will have to trade for the pick. According to David Climer of the Tennesseean, the Titans are NOT picking a quarterback with the number two selection and they could trade the pick to the Chargers in a deal with Philip Rivers.
The Chargers have also come up in connection with Mariota and the team has scheduled a workout for him despite having the number 17 overall pick. Rivers has a connection to head coach Ken Whisenhunt, as he had his best career season stats-wise when Whisenhunt ran the offense in san Diego. The Titans also would have enough cap space to take on Rivers' salary, which also brings it back to Cutler.
The Titans reportedly have over $20 million in cap space and that also would allow the team to take on Cutler. Cutler already has $10 million of his salary for 2016 guaranteed and he comes in with a $15.5 million salary for 2015. The Bears would save over $12 million by trading Cutler.