Per Biggsy, contract allows the Bears to reduce Cutler's cap hit and spread it out at team's discretion if they need the cap room to sign a guy.

Cliff Stein is the man.

Per Biggsy, contract allows the Bears to reduce Cutler's cap hit and spread it out at team's discretion if they need the cap room to sign a guy.

Cliff Stein is the man.

That sounds too good to be true or worded wrong

Reduce his clasp hit and spread it among team?

The Bears not only locked up Jay Cutler for seven years with the contract the quarterback signed last week, they created financial flexibility if the team sees an impact defensive player it wants to pursue in free agency.

According to multiple sources that have reviewed the contract, the Bears included an "automatic conversion" clause that allows the club to create salary-cap space as needed moving forward.

Cutler signed a $126.7 million, seven-year contract that includes $54 million guaranteed. His base salary for 2014 is $22.5 million, meaning his salary-cap number is identical. But the team can convert a portion of that base salary to a signing bonus at any time, money that would be prorated over the life of the contract, thus lowering his cap hit for this season.

The automatic conversion clause also exists in the other recent contracts the Bears have signed, sources told the Tribune. It does not mean the players would accept a pay cut, it means bookkeeping would be altered for purposes of the salary cap. In total, contracts for Cutler, cornerback Tim Jennings, guard Matt Slauson, kicker Robbie Gould and fullback Tony Fiammetta count $33.9 million against the 2014 salary cap. The Bears were projected to have about $45 million in available room, so the majority of that room has been consumed.

A veteran player or two could be shed to open up more cap space and the Bears can rework Cutler's cap number or the $5.25 million cap number Jennings carries in 2014 (or any of the other contracts) to create additional space. Basically, it sets up a use-as-you-go situation, one the team also could exercise in future years. The best part of it is the flexibility it gives the team. It doesn't mean the Bears will exercise the clause, but if a need arises in the unrestricted free-agent market, cap room can be created.

The clause reads: "The player and club agree that on one or more occasions and at any time during the duration of the contract, the club shall have the right but not the obligation to convert any portion of the players' Paragraph 5 salary, roster bonus and/or any other amount set forth in this contract into signing bonus."

Paragraph 5 salary is commonly known as base salary. The Bears did not include a signing bonus in Cutler's contract but probably designed his deal knowing a tweak will be needed along the way. If not, the Bears can absorb the bulk of the cap figures in 2014, allowing for more flexibility in future years.

Moving toward the opening of free agency March 11, the Bears will be positioned, if they want, to add a defensive playmaker even if their cap space appears snug. General manager Phil Emery stated his goal to get younger on defense, but he made two major signings on offense in March with left tackle Jermon Bushrod and tight end Martellus Bennett and both worked out well. Even though big money has been spent, the Bears likely will see what is available this time around.

"We'll have enough space to be competitive and do the things that we need to do," Emery said last week.

Jennings' four-year contract is worth $22.4 million with $11.815 million guaranteed. Slauson's four-year contract has a base value of $12.8 million with $4.9 million guaranteed. But the big one is Cutler's and the key number to keep in mind is the $54 million guaranteed, which is paid out over the first three seasons. Cutler turns 31 in April and quarterbacks certainly have played at a high level into their late 30s. His contract averages $17 million over the first five seasons, so the Bears probably look at that $85 million commitment more than the full $126.7 million right now.

The final four seasons of Cutler's contract includes a per-game roster bonus of $156,250, meaning he can earn a maximum of $2.5 million each season ($10 million total from 2017 through 2020) by being on the active game-day roster. That provides a small level of protection for the team in the event he is injured. Cutler defers $5 million of base salary in 2014 to the future, which will aid the team's cash flow.

On the whole, Cutler's contract is in line with what teams have to pay experienced quarterbacks to keep them off the free market.

The Bears defense is expected to look much different in 2014, and the freedom these contracts give the Bears could play a role in adding some help.

bmbiggs@tribune.com

Twitter @BradBiggs

I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.

Per Biggsy, contract allows the Bears to reduce Cutler's cap hit and spread it out at team's discretion if they need the cap room to sign a guy.

Cliff Stein is the man.

Smart. And I read that they probably front loaded it to help get Marshall extended. So they can lower Marshall's cap hit this year and spread it out.


Peppers is as good as gone at this point either way. Interesting to see if they can renegotiate with him to take a really huge pay cut to stay. Or if they will just cut him.

No excuses then. He'll still have $34M guaranteed before he takes a snap this season. I think they should still draft a QB if 1 falls to them in the 1st or 2nd round. There should be great value at other positions. I would consider drafting an offensive guy if one slid down the draft. Because there will be like 5 or 6 QB's drafted before the Bears pick they should be able to find a steal at other positions.

You'd at least have to agree its a well-structured deal for the team's goals - even if you disagree with those goals.

I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.

What does no excuses mean?

You'd at least have to agree its a well-structured deal for the team's goals - even if you disagree with those goals.

Sounds to me like the guy everyone loves to hate took a contract that is team friendly and flexible. Wo who would have thought the one that is to be hated for his tics and smirks isn't a team guy.

No! It is a deal for Cutler, that automatically makes it bad no matter what.

Not exactly. If I'm going to make $54M guaranteed in 3 years and I'll have $34M of it guaranteed before I even take a snap this season I really wouldn't care how you move the numbers around on the books. I'm still going to get paid $22.5M this year no matter what. This contract just means Emery wasn't a complete idiot or that Cliff Stein is a create genius.

Then to me no matter how you compare Cutler and his stats and other QB's etc its a big win. I have said I like Cutler but if they went draft and and journeyman ok too. This seems to work well all around to me. I see like Brady he is flexible with the contract. Others here will piss and moan for another 20 pages about him not being fucking Stafford.

Im pretty hammered right now.

Have we stopped griping yet about how much the Bears are willing to spend of their own money on a QB they clearly want for the next few years?

WE still hate the deal and C.A.L.L. has decided to rewrite history.

Im pretty hammered right now.

No matter the cap hit, I'm like 65% certain they will still be able to field a team next year.

They will. The flexibility was a plus but it's still a bad contract. They're just able to be creative with their accounting. It'll affect the cap in the future.

Too much focus on the contract. If you don't believe in Cutler as a QB, if you think he will continue to make too many critical mistakes to ever help the Bears in a playoff run, to reach (much less win) a Super Bowl, it's dumb to sign him to a new deal at any price.

Sure, he will help the Bears remain competitive within the division. Most years they will avoid losing seasons. But they will never win a SB with him. They have only ensured they achieve a level slightly above mediocrity most seasons.

Our hotel smelled like dead hooker vagina (before you ask I had gotten a detailed description from beardown)

No! It is a deal for Cutler, that automatically makes it bad no matter what.

Laurence Holmes is a fucking weirdo, a nerd in denial, and a wannabe. Not a very good radio host either.

Sounds to me like the guy everyone loves to hate took a contract that is team friendly and flexible. Wo who would have thought the one that is to be hated for his tics and smirks isn't a team guy.

No! It is a deal for Cutler, that automatically makes it bad no matter what.

Well structured? It's the same structure as anything else. Players restructure all the time. That's why only the guaranteed money matters. That's $54 million unless I get an explanation on how everyone is reporting it as $54 million for 3 years but they don't have to pay that.

A 5 year deal would have been worse. No need to make this a great deal though because the Bears can file paperwork with the league office in year 2 that changes the cap situation by calling the same money a bonus rather than salary.

This is only a good deal if Cutler performs to the level of deserving it over these 3 years.