There is no return policy for Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall is wondering if the Chicago Bears wishes there was one. It is no secret that the quarterback is suffering from his fair share of struggles this season after signing a seven-year, $126.7 million contract to remain the starting quarterback for years to come. However, Marshall told the media that there should be some buyer's remorse with the quarterback considering how poor he is playing this year.
"That's tough, man," Marshall said, via NFL.com. "What I would say is we all know Jay is more than capable of getting it done. It doesn't always fall on him. I guess that's why those guys are the highest paid players out there. Because when you win and everything is going good, they get all the glory. And when it's bad, they take more than what they should take. But I can understand that as far as as a business man, I would have buyer's remorse, too."
Cutler is not playing well which is fueling the idea that the Bears will attempt to trade or release the quarterback in the near future. $54 million of Cutler's contract is guaranteed through next season. A trade would save the team $12.5 million next season if they were capable of trading Cutler. While the quarterback is certainly not to blame for the struggles of the Bears, his contract will get the most heat as a result.
According to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, the Bears are considering at least putting out feelers in regard to a trade for Cutler. However, there will likely be very few teams interested in taking on that kind of contract. The Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans and St. Louis Rams are the obvious picks to show interest simply because they need someone at the quarterback position, but the chances a team is willing to give up anything for a seven-year contract is unlikely.
The Bears also do not have a backup plan unless they plan on putting Jimmy Clausen under center. For the time being, head coach Marc Trestman says that while he hears the chatter regarding the dumping of Cutler, he is not considering making a change in the near future.
"Jay Cutler, as long as he's been healthy, has been the guy we've had in there and wanted to play," Trestman said, via the Chicago Sun Times. "There's been no indifference there whatsoever. . . .Jay and I talk daily. He has a very good understanding of how we feel about him. All we're trying to do here is to get our football team in a position that we can be better on Monday night [against the Saints. The focus inside this building is exactly that and has always been exactly that week to week. That's all that's been important to all of us here."
