The Chicago Bears have a new head coach in John Fox and he could look at making major changes in 2015, as players like Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler have unclear futures and the front office may look at trade deals this offseason if they decide to move on, as teams like the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans and Washington Redskins could be options.
The Bears are coming off of a disappointing 2014 season and that resulted in the firings of Phil Emery at general manager and Marc Trestman at head coach. Ryan Pace was brought in to take over the front office and he hired Fox after he was let go by the Broncos to take over for Trestman. According to ESPN Chicago, the Bears are considering their options regarding Cutler after he was benched at the end of last season and the futures of Marshall and Forte also could be up in the air heading into next season.
Cutler is making a ton of money moving forward and he was the highest paid player in football last season after signing a seven year contract. Marshall is coming off of a down season that saw him deal with injuries, while Forte is coming into the final year of his contract and is 29 years old at a punishing position. Cutler was benched for Jimmy Clausen in Week 16 by Trestman and he had a down season overall despite putting up some solid numbers.
The Bears won just five games in 2014 and this offseason Fox and Pace have not given any firm commitments to Cutler or Marshall when it comes to next year. According to Jeff Dickerson on Twitter, Fox and Pace were "noncommittal" about Cutler and Marshall when asked at the NFL combine and both "hinted at reservations" about Marshall's appearances on Inside the NFL last season. While that doesn't mean the players will be traded, it could signal that the Bears are considering making some changes heading into 2015.
Marshall said that he met with Fox and Pace this offseason and was "assured nothing" about next year and his status. Marshall finished the season injured and had just 61 catches for 721 yards in 13 games in 2014. Marshall has a 2015 base salary of $7.5 million and it will be guaranteed on March 12 and there is a chance he could get released. The team would save $3.95 million if they release Marshall in March and he could clear over $7 million if he is post-June 1 designation cut.
Cutler had a strong season stats-wise in 2014, but he led the league in interceptions and also had six lost fumbles. Cutler set career highs in touchdown passes and completion percentage with 28 TDs and 66 percent and he also had 3812 yards passing. Overall the Bears were not consistent all season and that has pressed many to question whether Cutler is the best fit for the future. Cutler has $91 million of cap money left on his contract moving forward and that makes him hard to trade. Cutler will have $10 million of his 2016 salary guaranteed on March 12, so it's unlikely a major move is made before that.
