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Former Bears Coaches Question Team’s Ability to Win with Jay Cutler

There has been a lot of talk in recent years about Jay Cutler’s ability to actually lead a team deep into the playoffs. Clarifying this league-wide belief even more, 10 former staffers from both the Lovie Smith and Marc Trestman days with the Chicago Bears have come out to question the team’s ability to succeed with Cutler under center.

From the ESPN report:

At least 10 former Chicago Bears staffers from the Lovie Smith and Marc Trestman regimes said recently they believe the team can’t consistently compete for championships as long as it fields a lineup with Jay Cutler under center.

These questions are more than warranted.

Despite solid fantasy football numbers, Cutler’s success on the field in Chicago has been limited. He has led the team to one playoff win in six seasons and boasts a substandard 44-38 record as the team’s quarterback. The enigmatic veteran has also turned the ball over 39 times in his last 26 starts over the past two seasons.

Cutler is due to count $16.5 million against the cap in 2015, but the Bears would actually lose $3 million in cap room if they released the veteran. In addition to that, $10 million of his 2016 salary becomes guaranteed should Cutler remain on the roster on March 12th. The likelier scenario here is that new head coach John Fox and company look for a willing trade partner.

If not, the question then becomes: Are the Bears willing to commit $33.5 million in cap space to Cutler over the next two years? Considering it was former general manager Phil Emery who signed Cutler to his ridiculous extension, there is no sense of the new Bears’ brass having to save face by retaining the underwhelming veteran.

One of the biggest factors in determining Cutler’s future with the team is whether Chicago can find an upgrade on either the free agent or trade market.

Photo: USA Today

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