Starter No More! Bears Beach Jay Cutler

18 Dec, 2014

The thought crossed Jay Cutler’s mind as soon as he found out he was being benched: He might have played his final game for Chicago.

The Bears announced Thursday that they will start Jimmy Clausen against the Detroit Lions on Sunday instead of the man who signed a massive, seven-year deal at the end of last season.

Coach Marc Trestman said Cutler will be available as the backup at Soldier Field, where boos have rained down on a punchless, porous team that is now 5-9 and playing out the string after starting the season with legitimate hopes of a playoff run. They will miss the postseason for the seventh time in eight years and it’s unclear whether Trestman – or Cutler – will be back for another try next year.

“I would like to stay here,” Cutler said. “I really like it here. I love the guys in the locker room that I get to play with. Clearly, it’s a different circumstance now. But going forward, this is where I’d like to be.”

The move comes after Trestman pledged his allegiance to Cutler as the starter several times the past few weeks.

“Certainly, it was not an easy decision,” Trestman said. “In my mind those types of decisions never are, and I worked it through and think it through not only myself but with our staff.”

Trestman said he met with general manager Phil Emery on Tuesday and informed Cutler and Clausen of his decision on Wednesday. He met again with Emery later in the day to discuss his decision and informed the staff that night.

Cutler was taken aback by the decision, saying that he was “Shocked, I think at first. And then, I think disappointed.”

He said he could play for Trestman next season, although there would have to be some mending to the relationship during the offseason.

Asked if he believed the team was committed to him, Cutler responded: “I don’t know if I can answer that.”

“All I know is there’s a lot of money involved in my contract, which comes with a lot of expectations and a lot of responsibility,” he said, when asked if the change was fair. “And whenever you’re not winning and performing the way you should, there’s a likelihood that could happen.”

Cutler leads the league in interceptions (18) and turnovers (24) and he was benched after arguably his worst game of the season in Monday’s loss to New Orleans. He threw three interceptions and got sacked a season-high seven times as the Bears fell meekly at home to the Saints, 31-15.

AP 

Image AP

Mentioned In This Post: