The Chicago Bears have gone from shopping Jay Cutler in trade deals to fully investing in him as the starter for 2015. Cutler's future appeared to be very up in the air this year after another struggling season. The Bears were not keen on paying him his guaranteed money in 2015 and were hoping to strike a trade. However, not a single team showed interest in the quarterback who is now being touted as the starter for the upcoming season.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace publically backed Cutler as the starting quarterback in Chicago while addressing other offseason moves. It was certainly a change in tone from what Pace was saying at the NFL scouting combine when the general manager along with head coach John Fox failed to endorse the future of Cutler. Now that they are stuck with him, Pace loves what Cutler is bringing to the table.
"We went through the process of thoroughly evaluating the roster and we're moving forward with Jay as our starting quarterback," Pace said, via NFL.com.
The Bears have to back Cutler because right now he is the best option for the team. It was well reported that Cutler was available on the trade market, but no one bit on the bait which caused him to remain on the roster at the start of the calendar year which made his $15.5 million due in 2015 completely guaranteed. The $10 million owed in 2016 will also be guaranteed. Cutler is the future for at least the next two seasons before all of his guaranteed money is up. However, after that the Bears could be looking at other options.
According to the Chicago Tribune, it would not be a shock for the Bears to draft a quarterback this year and it would not be a shock if they kicked the tires on a deal for Marcus Mariota. The Bears make their first pick at No. 7 and right now they would be competing with the Washington Redskins and New York Jets for the former Oregon star. Both teams select in the two spots above the Bears.
If Mariota is not drafted, the team could look at players like Brett Hundley, Garrett Grayson and Bryce Petty. All three quarterback would be available in later rounds for Chicago. The team is going through a slight transition phase after trading Brandon Marshall. They signed Eddie Royal to a contract and could look at a few more upgrades in the process.
