Chicago Bears: 11 years later, it’s time to appreciate Jay Cutler

11 years ago today, the Chicago Bears made what they believed would be a franchise-changing trade. Despite groundbreaking results, Jay Cutler’s legacy shouldn’t go undervalued.

It has been 11 years since the Chicago Bears made the — at one point — seismic move to trade for former Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler. That’s 132 months; 573 weeks; 4,015 days. And yet, not a single thing has changed. The Bears’ brass is still making moves that it figures should be the last leak in the roof before Super Bowl parade directions can be planned. And year-after-year, new holes open, lugging them back to square one.

But maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance for one thing to change, especially since those leaks have left the Bears’ suboptimal offense to drown in today’s pass-happy NFL. A chance to appreciate arguably the most underappreciated quarterback of this generation.

Here’s a great irony: excluding interceptions, Jay Cutler owns essentially every record within Chicago’s franchise lore, from yards to touchdowns to completions. His unwavering, dismissive scowl remains the face of the Chicago Bears over the last decade. But perhaps the only stat that matters in hindsight is the win-loss record: 102 games, 51 wins, and 51 losses.

So, what’s the point? As long as the Bears continue to put out the product they have on the field offensively, we should at least take one day, Apr. 2, to appreciate what Cutler did bring to the Bears offense.