3. Could cutting Cutler revive the Chicago Bears?
The Bears have been trying (and failing) to fight their way out of the dumpster, placing fourth in the NFC North three seasons in a row. As much as head coach John Fox has attempted to turn the team around, he has only nine wins during his two years coaching in the Windy City.
This last season saw quarterback Jay Cutler miss 11 games due to various injuries and wind up on IR. Backup quarterback Brian Hoyer suffered a broken arm in October, and the team had to lean on young Matt Barkley under center.
Not much was going to help turn the Bears’ season around in 2016. It didn’t help that Barkley was awful. He completed 59.7 percent of his passes and tossed 16 interceptions compared to eight touchdowns in seven games.
The bright spot on offense was rookie Jordan Howard. But the Bears as a whole only managed 17.4 points on average per contest.
It’s highly likely the team gets some new blood in at quarterback. Cutler’s gigantic contract — signed in 2014 — finally eases up in how much it will cost to let him go. If the team cuts him, it would only cost $2 million in dead cap.
It’s possible that moving on from Cutler completely and starting anew at quarterback could be the winning formula in Chicago moving forward.