Guest Post: Should the Chicago Bears Extend Jay Cutler’s Contract?
Dec 30, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) passes the ball against the Detroit Lions during the first half of a game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Editor’s Note: We are auditioning a new prospective writer; let’s call him Mike. Here’s his guest post on extending Jay Cutler’s contract. Tell us what you think of Mike’s post in the Comments. Think you have what it takes to do a guest post? E-mail me at beargoggles.boomer@gmail.com.
With Tom Brady signing a contract extension and Ben Roethlisberger restructuring his current contract, what should the Bears do with Jay Cutler this year? I know what I would do. I would extend his contract and make sure he was a Bear for life. I’d spare no expense.
Why? Because I own a Jay Cutler jersey and I don’t want to have to do something stupid like the fans in Denver did when they traded him.
So why should the Bears sign Jay Cutler to an extension? Read on…
Salary Cap Room
According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune the Chicago Bears will have roughly $11 million in salary cap space for the 2013 season. Compared to a lot of the teams this year, the Bears are in good shape, unless they want to sign some big time free agents including re-signing Henry Melton.
According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, Jay Cutler will take up $10.37 million of cap space this year. Jay Cutler was quoted on his radio show saying, “I’m not gonna try to break the bank.” He then continued to say, “I want to be on a successful team, and I know that paying one or two or three players premium (salaries) hurts your chances of being able to bring in extra talent.” If the Bears can sign Jay at a hometown discount and spread the money over the next 5-7 years, then they should be able to free up some cap space for this year and possibly the next couple of years.
Keeping the Cutler to Marshall Connection Alive
Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall
With a little more room in the salary cap, then the Bears can focus on signing Brandon Marshall to an extension to match Jay Cutler’s extension in number of years.
There is a possibility that Marshall will also give a slight hometown discount and according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, Brandon Marshall will take up $9.3 million this year.
If the Bears extend both Cutler and Marshall, then that is even more cap space relief over the next year or two. With those two guys matched up on offense for the next 5-7 years, us as Bears Fans will always have something to look forward to on offense. And don’t forget we have Matt Forte too.
What are the Alternatives at Quarterback?
I know a lot of people are thinking we should wait to give Jay another year to prove himself.
This Cutler jersey wearing fan asks why should we wait another year? He has all the tangibles and intangibles as a quarterback. I ask all those people what are the alternatives at quarterback? Should we draft a quarterback? Can we trade for a quarterback?
The Indianapolis Colts had to suck for a year in order to get Andrew Luck, and a quarterback like him only comes once every 10 years. The Bears have drafted quarterbacks in the recent past, and we got Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton. Not too shabby, but not Jay Cutler. Trading for a quarterback is exactly how we acquired Jay Cutler in the first place and the Bears can’t afford to lose any more draft pick with trades. The only quarterback on the market recently was Alex Smith, and I may not be a scout for an NFL team, but in my opinion, Jay Cutler is way better than Alex Smith. If you compare the trade value of the two, I think NFL teams have the same opinion.
Jay Cutler Traded for Quarterback Kyle Orton, 1st and 3rd round pick in 2009, 1st round pick in 2010. Bears got back a 5th round pick in 2009 as part of the deal.
Alex Smith Traded for 2013 2nd round pick and a conditional 3rd round pick in 2014.
What the Bears need is consistency The only way a quarterback gets better in the NFL is to stick with the same system, coaches and players for an extended period of time. With the hiring of a new coach with a minimum of 5 years commitment, it only makes sense to lock up Jay Cutler and enjoy the ride on my bandwagon.