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Jay Cutler Rumors: What’s Next For Benched Bears QB?

By Anne Kennedy
Published on: 07:35 PST, Dec 19, 2014

Benched Thursday in favor of Jimmy Clausen, Jay Cutler is the NFL Player with the highest base salary for the current season – and according to Bleacher Report, that’s a startling choice as well as a desperate move for Chicago Bears management. What’s going to happen next? Rumors abound.

One of the biggest questions concerning the options open to Cutler the coming season is related to his pay as well as his performance. Will the combination of his salary – a whopping $22.5 million for this season – and his performance-based demotion cause other teams to view Jay as a liability, rendering him untradeable? Despite worries that Cutler has performance issues that might make other teams shy away, a number of rumors have surfaced mentioning that there are several suitors coming out of the woodwork. One team in particular stands out: The Tennessee Titans. WTMX Chicago reporter Eric Ferguson tweeted that sources have relayed that the main reason Jay is riding the pine for the remainder of the season is to avoid injury and ensure that the Cutler-to-Titans deal can be made.

Of all the potential places for Jay to play next season, Tennessee makes what analysts believe to be the most sense. Cutler, who attended Vanderbilt University, played college football in the state, plus the Titans are facing a sense of uncertainty where quarterbacks are concerned.

Not only has Titans QB Jake Locker struggled to remain healthy this season, rookie QB Zach Mettenberger has an unfortunate history of knee issues. Though he has remained healthy for the most part, he did suffer a recent shoulder injury that Conor Orr of NFL.com says will likely keep him benched for the rest of the season.

Making matters worse for Mettenberger and possibly better for Jay Cutler, Mettenberger has shown less promise than the Titans hoped he would.

Why all the speculation concerning a Cutler trade? Even though he’s thrown for 3,650 yards and 28 touchdown passes this season, h leads the NFL in turnovers and has thrown 18 interceptions. He’s also fumbled 9 times. In addition, if the Bears are able to trade Jay by March 2015, they’ll save about $16 million in guarantee money.

After playing six seasons with the Bears and nine in the NFL overall, Jay Cutler is a still-healthy 31-year-old. A team willing to take on a trade has to believe he’ll perform well for them where he’s failed for the Bears this year, and they have to be willing to take on a financial burden that amounts to a bet that he’ll do better in 2015.

Speaking with NBC Sports, Jay Cutler said he hopes to stay with Chicago beyond 2014, but admits that it has definitely crossed his mind that he may have played his final game as one of the Bears.

Image Courtesy of NFL

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