Chicago Bears

It's Time the Chicago Bears Move On from Jay Cutler

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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After another head-scratching performance, it’s time the Chicago Bears take their QB situation in another direction and move on from Jay Cutler.

Jay Cutler is smart. Jay Cutler is intelligent. Jay Cutler has a phenomenal arm.

Jay Cutler shouldn’t be the Chicago Bears quarterback.

I have long been a supporter of Cutler. He possesses all the tools needed to be an elite NFL QB, but there’s only one problem: he isn’t.

The Chicago Bears lost in embarrassing fashion on Monday night to the Philadelphia Eagles 29-14. The game followed a similar pattern to the week one loss to the Houston Texans: stay competitive for 30 minutes and have the wheels fall off in the second half.

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The Cutler supporters have plenty of ammunition as to why Cutler struggled against Philadelphia. First, Cutler played with an injured thumb that eventually forced him from the game and may cause him to miss significant time. Two, the Bears couldn’t run the football. Three, the offensive line didn’t give Jay Cutler enough time to throw. The list goes on and on.

Here’s the problem with the Cutler supporters: they want to put Jay in a vacuum under optimal conditions so he can succeed. The only problem is that this is the NFL and conditions are never optimal. No, I’m not pinning the Eagles loss solely on Cutler. There were plenty of problems that ranged from Jeremy Langford to Bobby Massie, to the coaching staff.

Cutler showed again on Monday night that he is never going to put the everything together and it’s time the Bears stop waiting for him to do it. Cutler will make an incredible throw one play and then throw three consecutive bounce passes and force the team to punt. He is 33. This season (with the injury) appears to be largely lost which means waiting for yet another year for Cutler to play at the level fans and coaches are hoping he can achieve. Next season he’ll be 34. At that age, it’s time to start expecting quarterbacks to start declining, not finally become the great quarterback his skills show he can be.

Jay Cutler is who he is. An enigmatic quarterback that may have been doomed from porous offensive lines and a carousel of offensive coordinators. Put the blame on whatever factor you would like, the fact of the matter is that it’s too late.

The Chicago Bears are in a full rebuild mode. Ryan Pace is trying to build up the roster through the draft and bring in young talented players. He has no interest in trying to build a team with aging veterans and hope a team strikes gold one season and goes 10-6. He’s trying to build a winner- a long term winner. To do that, you need plenty of depth and that’s what he’s trying to do.

I believe in Pace’s plan. I don’t know if he will succeed, but this is the first time in many years that the Bears have a plan in place and are sticking with it. Originally, I thought 2017 was going to be the year the Bears first start showing signs of being a legitimate playoff contender. That still may be the case but after the first two games, truthfully 2018 might be more accurate.

What is the point of having an expensive, average quarterback fill the most important position on the field when the best case scenario has you contending when he’s 35. By the time the team around him is ready to win, Cutler will most likely be declining in skills and running out of years on his contract.

Cutler’s cap hit ranges from $16 to $22 million between 2017 and 2020. The Bears guaranteed money after this season is virtually nil. 2017 is an ideal time for the Bears to make a change at the position.

There are at least two first round caliber quarterbacks that will be available in the 2017 draft- Deshaun Watson of Clemson and DeShone Kizer of Notre Dame. The New England Patriots will also most likely make Jimmy Garoppolo available for the right price. With the Bears looking down the barrel of a top 10 pick, they could make an attempt to land either of the college QBs or trade for Garoppolo.

Sep 17, 2016; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) looks to pass the ball during the first quarter against the South Carolina State Bulldogs at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

Garoppolo’s price won’t be cheap. It will cost the Bears a first round pick and maybe more. Jumping from Cutler isn’t without risk. You know what you have in Cutler- a serviceable QB. If Pace goes for one of the young arms and they don’t turn out to be a franchise QB, it could set the franchise back for years. But isn’t the goal to win a Super Bowl? And that’s something that isn’t going to happen with Jay Cutler as the starting quarterback of the Chicago Bears.

Cutler has become the second or third greatest QB in the franchise’s history (Sid Luckman and Jim McMahon). He holds almost every Bears’ passing record and has had his share of highlights over the last several years. But it’s time to realize that Cutler should not be a part of Pace’s rebuilding project.