Despite a variety of reports from Monday alleging that the Chicago Bears were both shopping quarterback Jay Cutler and showing interest in acquiring San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick via trade, Cutler will reportedly remain "the guy" going forward.
For one more season at least.
Dan Bernstein of CBS Chicago reported midday Monday that new Bears head coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace were "actively shopping" Cutler and would move him for a "reasonable return."
It was then reported that Kaepernick, a talented dual-threat quarterback with a big arm and limited ability to read the field, was of trade interest to the Bears.
Cutler, 31, signed a contract extension with Chicago and former GM Phil Emery just prior to last season. Under the new deal his cap hit for the 2015-16 season in slated to be $16.5 million. The Bears would incur a $19.5 million dead money cap penalty were they to cut or move Cutler, making the notion of him heading elsewhere seem not only farfetched but illogical.
Tuesday, Chris Mortensen of ESPN took things a step farther.
Mortensen, speaking to sources "with direct knowledge of the team's plans," reported that the Bears "fully expect" Cutler to be the quarterback for the 2015 season.
"One source was adamant that there was "absolutely zero truth" to recent reports that Cutler was being actively shopped for a potential trade," writes Mortensen.
Cutler finished last season with 370 completions on 561 attempts for 3,812 yards, 28 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. While the numbers themselves aren't abysmal, per se, they're not the stats of an elite quarterback, which is how the Bears are pay Cutler.
Add in the weapons at his disposal on offense last year - Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffrey, Matt Forte, Martellus Bennett - and the mounting reports of his ineffective and often nonexistent leadership skills and it's easy to see why there has been so much speculation of the team potentially moving on from the dour signal-caller.
Still, per Mortensen's report, that won't be the case.
"Cutler's spotty performance has led to rampant speculation that the franchise was considering cutting him loose either through trade or an outright release. Neither dispatch will occur, sources said."
In fact, according to Mortensen, new offensive coordinator Adam Gase and other fresh-faced members of the Bears staff have been "enthusiastically making plans with a playbook they believe will accentuate Cutler's strengths."
Barring some unforeseen and wholly unexpected development, it seems Cutler will remain under center for the Bears for at least one more season.
