Chicago Bears sign Jay Cutler to seven-year extension

The Chicago Bears have signed Jay Cutler to a seven-year contract extension. Bears general manager Phil Emery announced the deal on Tuesday.

“We are very excited to have Jay for the long term,” Emery said. “He’s a demonstrated winner with the Chicago Bears. He can be a key player in terms of being the reason you win.”

Backup quarterback Josh McCown enjoyed a great deal of success this season while Cutler was out with injuries, which led many to believe that the Bears might bring the veteran back for another season and draft a quarterback to save money. Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com is reporting that Cutler’s new deal averages around $18 million for the first three seasons, so Chicago obviously felt comfortable paying him.

The Joe Flacco comparisons are already rolling in, with the common belief being that Cutler has been overpaid and is not one of the top quarterbacks in the league. The difference is Flacco won a Super Bowl, whereas Cutler really hasn’t won anything. Still, he is obviously head coach Marc Trestman’s guy.

Despite McCown’s nearly flawless play in seven games this season, Trestman immediately inserted Cutler back into the starting lineup when he returned from injury in Week 15 with the Bears still in the playoff hunt. They wound up losing their last two games of the season, but the team clearly does not feel the burden of those losses belongs on Cutler’s shoulders. Time will tell if they will come to regret it.