The Chicago Bears have been bad this season and a large part of the blame has fallen on the shoulders of quarterback Jay Cutler.
Cutler of course has done himself no favors tossing 18 interceptions – including three in an embarrassing loss to the Saints on Monday – while also committing six fumbles. While he is the NFL’s highest paid player, Cutler has averaged a turnover every 33.3 snaps this season
The Bears paid up to keep Cutler in town in the offseason but have not gotten the desired results. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter the decision has been made to bench Culter and start Jimmy Clausen against the Lions this weekend.
To repeat and now confirmed: Bears starting QB Jimmy Clausen over Jay Cutler on Sunday vs. Detroit, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 17, 2014
Coach Marc Tretsman is firmly on the hot seat and benching Cutler at this point may not be enough to save his job.
“I haven’t been able [to coax the best from Cutler] and we haven’t been able to do the things that we want to get done,” Trestman said via ESPN. “We’re working towards that. But the answer to that is obvious. I’m trying to give you the most truthful answer and that is, we’ve seen moments of it, but it’s not where we need to go. It’s not where we need to be. But it’s not all about Jay. It’s about our entire offense, working together to get it done.”
The Bears would absorb $19 million in dead money by releasing Cutler before 2016. He is owed a guaranteed $15.5 for the 2015-16 season.
