The Chicago Bears are downplaying any idea that they were interested in trading away Jay Cutler this offseason despite the number of rumors associating the team with Marcus Mariota heading into the NFL Draft. With Cutler's salary guaranteed, any deal the Bears might have tried to acquire likely went unnoticed. Now, Cutler returns but is not guaranteed the starting job of Jimmy Clausen. With depth an issue, will the Bears be forced to acquire someone if both quarterbacks struggle?
According to Bears general manager Ryan Pace via ESPN.com, the Bears never tried to trade Cutler and have always been committed to the quarterback's future. That disputes several reports saying the Bears offered Cutler to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for the No. 2 draft pick with the intentions of selecting Mariota. That obviously never happened. The Titans selected the Oregon quarterback and the Bears stayed put grabbing Kevin White. Pace is making it clear that Cutler was never offered in a deal.
"It never locked in to where we were on the board," Pace said, via ESPN. "Every time our pick came up we had guys clearly graded better than the quarterbacks that were there. There was just never an opportunity where we were aligned. We're excited about college free agency and being able to do it that way."
Quality depth is an issue for Chicago. It is no secret that Cutler has had his share of struggles and injuries with the team. He is responsible for the breakout year Josh McCown had. Right now, the Bears have Shane Carden who is likely a camp arm. David Fales is penciled in at No. 3 and Clausen re-signed as the backup. Head coach John Fox made it clear he really likes what he sees in Clausen and the quarterback could very easily challenge Cutler for the top spot. It was for that reason Clausen opted to stay in Chicago.
"Obviously, if I didn't like what they envisioned for me and the offense, I wouldn't be here right now," Clausen said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. "I like what they have planned for us moving forward, and I'm really excited about this upcoming season. I just felt comfortable with them and just wanted to come back."
According to the Chicago Sun Times, the Bears are very comfortable with their quarterback rotation and will not be making any moves for players like Mike Glennon or Kirk Cousins to help with depth. The Bears had been linked to potential trades, but that is no longer the case.
With the quarterback rotation set, the Bears must now focus on pleasing both Matt Forte and Marcellus Bennett who were camp holdouts. A contract for Alshon Jeffery is also expected to be discussed.