Financial terms not released, but reports claim $50m guaranteed.
Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has signed a new seven-year deal with the franchise, confirmation that the team still have faith in his ability to lead them forward in the future.
The 30-year-old was set to become an unrestricted free agent this off-season, but instead has now agreed a seven-year contract which general manager Phil Emery announced on Thursday.
Financial terms of the deal were not released, but Cutler’s deal is expected to be worth more than the $17.6m average the Detroit Lions gave Matthew Stafford in July.
According to league sources there is at least $50m in guaranteed money, and Cutler has insisted that he isn’t worried about the reaction from the critics.
“Anything that would have happened, [anywhere] I would’ve went, there’s always positives and negatives,” Cutler told reporters, according to ESPN.
“There’s always critics. Coming off an 8-8 season, we’re not happy with how it ended. But I think everyone in this building is really excited about the direction we’re going.”
Emery discussed the quarterback’s growth this past season despite ultimately being left disappointed by the Green Bay Packers on the last day of the regular season.
The Bears general manager insists that he is excited about the future and he believes that Cutler has improved over the past year in his decision-making and leadership whilst also demonstrating a winning mentality.
Cutler himself insisted that he wanted to stay with the Bears and would have only tested free agency if the team had decided not to renew his deal.
Before signing the deal, Cutler ranked 11th among quarterbacks in terms of average salary, and he will now join Tim Jennings, Matt Slauson, Robbie Gould and Tony Fiammetta in signing new deals with the franchise.
COMMENTS