Don’t Believe the Jay Cutler for Marcus Mariota Trade Rumor
The internet’s abuzz with yet another Jay Cutler trade rumor. I don’t believe the latest Jay Cutler for Marcus Mariota trade rumor that’s been reignited in the last few days and you shouldn’t either. With the NFL Draft rapidly approaching, the rumor mill will be kicking into high gear, but I’ll caution you, don’t believe everything you hear or read. In fact, I suggest you don’t believe anything you read in the next few weeks.
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Just to recap, here’s the latest rumor, revitalized by Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole. Supposedly, Marcus Mariota has been gaining a lot of traction in the Chicago Bears draft room. Most experts believe that Mariota won’t be available when the Bears select at #7, so they’d have to trade up to get him. That’s where Jay Cutler and the Tennessee Titans come in to connect a few dots.
The Titans have been frequently brought up as a possible landing spot for Jay Cutler, who attended Vanderbilt and still has a home in Nashville. By all accounts, Titans head coach Ken Wisenhunt prefers a strong armed quarterback who can push the ball up the field, so Cutler would fit the bill, especially over Mariota.
Here’s where it gets interesting and the rumor starts to fall apart.
"According to the Draft Value Chart used by many teams around the league, the Bears would have to surrender their entire draft and more to move up from the seventh pick to the second pick, though if Cutler were in the trade, that obviously changes the calculation a bit."
I can’t imagine there’s any way in the world the Bears would give up anything more than Cutler and #7 to move up. The Bears are in rebuilding mode and new GM Ryan Pace isn’t going to mortgage the future in his first draft with the Bears to get a quarterback that isn’t a slam dunk. The Bears have so many holes, is quarterback really a true position of need? With a revitalized defense and some added weapons on a well coached team, the Bears can win with Cutler.
This is the time for deception and subterfuge. It’s a time to try to create a market where one doesn’t exist. It benefits the Bears to make everyone think they want to grab former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. It benefits the Titans by making everyone believe there’s a serious bidder for their #2 pick. It could certainly drive up the market and get Mariota selected higher if everyone believes that there are a lot of teams vying for a chance to grab him. Be careful stepping over all of the bullshit you’re going to hear these next few weeks.