The Chicago Bears may consider a Jay Cutler trade this offseason if they move up to get Marcus Mariota in the draft and the Tennessee Titans could be an option for the move for John Fox and this comes as Matt Forte has also come up in trade talk, as he is coming into the final year of his contract and could be traded.
The Bears are coming into the offseason after winning just five games and they have a new head coach in Fox and general manager in Ryan Pace. The franchise fired Marc Trestman and Phil Emery and now the new regime has a chance to put their stamp on things through the draft. According to Pro Football Talk and CBS Sports, the Bears are interested in Mariota and could consider trading up for him in the upcoming draft.
The draft this year is in Chicago and while that won't make a difference in what the team does, it would give them the opportunity to be the story of the draft if they go after Mariota. Pro Football Talk reported last week that the team met with Mariota and since they have a top 10 pick and a solid quarterback, they could be in the mix to make a trade. Cutler's future was up in the air this offseason after getting benched in 2014, but eventually Fox said that the team was moving forward with him.
But that could be changing a bit, as Jason Cole at Bleacher Report writes that drafting Mariota has "gained more and more traction" in the organization. Cutler has a huge contract and part of his 2016 salary was just guaranteed and while that makes him hard to trade, the Bears could consider making the move again along with trading the number seven pick. The Titans have the cap space to absorb the deal and trading Cutler actually would save the Bears over $12 million in cap space.
Forte could also be in the mix, as he is coming into the final year of his deal. According to the Chicago Tribune, Forte is staying away from team activities right now and he would like a new deal despite being owed $8.2 million this season. Forte will be 30 by the end of the year and he could be moved if the two sides can't agree. The Bears also could sit tight and take someone like Todd Gurley, who has been moving up draft boards fast, according to Charles Robinson at Yahoo.
Mariota is gaining interest from a number of teams and there is always a chance that the Titans go for him at number two. Right now it's looking like the team will pick Leonard Williams or trade the pick and the Buccaneers are likely taking Jameis Winston number one. The Cleveland Browns, NY Jets, San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins have all been mentioned in reports as options for Mariota.
The Bears likely would have to give up significant draft compensation even if they add Cutler and that could make the team skittish about the move. Pace is coming in for his first draft and he may not want to make a big trade with his first major move, especially on an unproven player. Mariota has the pedigree, as he had just 14 interceptions in college and won the Heisman last season. The Chargers are looking like they are serious about potentially moving up, while the Browns have two first round picks to use if they want to deal.