Bears seek taker for Cutler
Chicago is hoping to get something in deal for veteran QB.
With the opening of NFL free agency just a little more than two weeks away, the speculation circus is already raising its curtain. And as far as Bears fans are concerned, curiosity over Jay Cutler’s status in Chicago will quickly begin to surge again.
On Tuesday evening, ESPN reported the Bears had actively begun seeking a trade partner for Cutler, but to be clear, the Bears can’t officially trade Cutler until March 9, when the NFL’s new league year begins. And the concept of general manager Ryan Pace exploring a trade for Cutler is far from surprising with the quarterback’s exit from Chicago more of a “when” not “if ” scenario this offseason.
Cutler has already been paid all the guaranteed money within the seven-year extension he signed in 2014. So the Bears are in a position in which they can release the 33-year-old quarterback at no cost with only a modest salary-cap hit. Of course, they’d prefer to get something in return for Cutler, which makes the trade exploration a must for Pace.
The veteran quarterback is due a base salary of $12.5 million next season and has roster bonuses that could be worth an additional $2.5 million. He missed 11 games last season with thumb and shoulder injuries and recently had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.
Meantime, the Bears hired University of Tennessee receivers coach and passing game coordinator Zach Azzanni as their receivers coach, the school announced.
Dolphins: Tight end Julius Thomas has passed his physical with Miami in a precursor to a trade from the Jaguars that will be completed next month, the Associated Press reported. Thomas is being acquired for a seventh-round draft pick this year, and in a separate move, the Dolphins are sending left tackle Branden Albert to Jacksonville for a seventh-rounder in 2018.
Jets: Darrelle Revis’ court date has been pushed back. The Jets cornerback originally was scheduled to appear in a Pennsylvania court today to answer four felony charges stemming from his alleged involvement in a Feb. 12 street fight in Pittsburgh. But Revis’ lawyer said his hearing has been pushed back to March 15.
49ers: Signed free-agent cornerback K’Waun Williams to a one-year deal. Williams entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Browns in 2014.
Obit: Ed Garvey, the lawyer who led the NFL Players Association through strikes in 1974 and 1982, died at age 76. Garvey was the players’ union counsel and executive director from 1971-83.
A 1969 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, Garvey joined the Minneapolis firm that later represented the fledgling NFLPA. Neither of the player strikes was particularly effective, and the 1982 walkout resulted in the season being shortened from 16 games to nine.