Jay Cutler has said he is hoping to remain in Chicago for many years to come. The Bears quarterback is well-aware this season is the final year of his contract and his future is hazy at best with his current team. The Bears will face the decision of whether or not to extend Cutler to a normal franchise quarterback contract that would reach over $100 million or let him walk away in favor of someone new. After saying he would agree to something like a franchise tag, owner Phil Emery is not too keen on that idea.
The Bears have been adamant about the fact that they have no plans on discussing contract extensions with anyone until the season is completely over. They opted to let Cutler play out the final year of his deal instead of extending his contract like most teams normally do. It is unclear what Chicago's intentions are when it comes to the veteran quarterback, but Emery is saying a franchise tag is not the best option moving forward.
"The franchise tag for the quarterback position has unique challenges because the average comes out to be such a big portion of your cap and your total money available to spend on other players to acquire to help your team," Emery said, via Bears.com. "With the franchise tag being so high for the quarterback position, to use it and not sign the individual to a long-term deal hurts the team because you lose the ability to prorate the amount of guaranteed salary over the length of the contract."
NFL.com's Albert Breer is predicting the franchise tag for a quarterback in 2014 will be $16.2 million. That is a pretty large one-year deal that would certainly be a hit on the salary cap. Currently the Bears have several marquee players due for new deals. Linebacker Lance Briggs, cornerback Charles Tillman and defensive tackle Henry Melton will be looking for a new contract, making Cutler's situation even more difficult.
"I'm not gonna take anything personally," Cutler said. "If they want to franchise me, I'm gonna feel good about the situation we're in. We're gonna be in our second year of the offense with these guys. We're gonna be better. I'm gonna be better. So it's not personal. It's business."
That is the right attitude for Cutler to take because "the business" is going to headline his 2014 offseason. Taking the franchise tag off the table could get the quarterback to lower his contract demands or it could mean the team is moving on with Josh McCown.
Sources are reporting the Bears are considering re-signing McCown for cheap and drafting a mid-round quarterback for head coach Marc Trestman to coach up. The 2014 Draft is stocked with talent at the position and it would save the Bears plenty of money.
All of this is happening while Cutler continues to be sidelined with yet another injury. If he is unable to return, he can likely go ahead and put his house on the market.
