Romo Contract Could Set the Bar for Cutler and the Chicago Bears
They say everything is bigger in Texas and that couldn’t be more true than the latest contract that Jerry Jones just dished out. Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys agreed on a big, six year $108 million contract including $55 million in guaranteed money. Including what he’s due in 2013, the 33 year old Romo is locked up by the Cowboys for the next seven seasons for nearly $120 million. This contract could be of particular interest to a certain Chicago Bears quarterback.
Jay Cutler is heading to into the final year of his contract in what is shaping up to be a make or break season for him and his career with the Chicago Bears. The reason this is important to Cutler because he and Romo have been compared as underachievers who haven’t been able to win under pressure.
Here is a look at the top quarterback contracts via Over The Cap:
| Name | Team | Total Value | APY | Guarantee | Guarantee Per Year | Free Agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Flacco | Ravens | $120,600,000 | $20,100,000 | $29,000,000 | $4,833,333 | 2019 |
| Drew Brees | Saints | $100,000,000 | $20,000,000 | $40,000,000 | $8,000,000 | 2017 |
| Peyton Manning | Broncos | $96,000,000 | $19,200,000 | $18,000,000 | $3,600,000 | 2017 |
| Tony Romo | Cowboys | $108,000,000 | $18,000,000 | $55,000,000 | $9,166,667 | 2020 |
| Eli Manning | Giants | $97,500,000 | $16,250,000 | $35,000,000 | $5,833,333 | 2016 |
| Matt Schaub | Texans | $62,000,000 | $15,500,000 | $29,150,000 | $7,287,500 | 2017 |
| Phillip Rivers | Chargers | $91,800,000 | $15,300,000 | $38,150,000 | $6,358,333 | 2016 |
| Jay Cutler | Bears | $29,337,500 | $14,668,750 | $20,000,000 | $10,000,000 | 2014 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | Steelers | $87,986,500 | $14,664,417 | $33,200,000 | $5,533,333 | 2016 |
| Mark Sanchez | Jets | $40,475,000 | $13,491,667 | $19,250,000 | $6,416,667 | 2017 |
| Sam Bradford | Rams | $78,000,000 | $13,000,000 | $50,000,000 | $8,333,333 | 2016 |
| Aaron Rodgers | Packers | $63,520,000 | $12,704,000 | $20,000,000 | $4,000,000 | 2015 |
The guys whose names I’ve highlighted in bold all have Super Bowl rings. By all accounts, Aaron Rodgers is set to haul in a lot of cheddar and become the top paid player in the league. Bradford is still playing on his rookie deal and the Sanchez extension got the Jets’ GM fired. I don’t know where Rivers and Schaub got their contracts.
Joe Flacco entered the final year of his contract and proceeded to go on have a postseason for the record books. When he signed his $120 million dollar deal after winning the Super Bowl, he set a new bar for contracts and added himself to the upper echelon of signal callers. It seems like a Super Bowl ring is the ante for a $100+ million dollar, $20 million per year deal.
With this contract, Romo opens the door to a whole slew of above average passers who have never hoisted a Lombardi Trophy.
Joe Flacco bet on himself and got paid. If Cutler can do the same and succeed, he could enter into the $100 million club too. If he fails to click with Marc Trestman and the new Bears staff, I expect Cutler to be looking for a new team the next offseason. I highly doubt Phil Emery and the Bears would give Cutler a big payday like the Cowboys gave Romo unless he leads the team to the playoffs.
What do you think? Does Cutler need a Super Bowl or a deep playoff run to justify a big money deal or should the Bears pay him comparably to what Romo got from the Cowboys? Let’s hear your comments.