INDIANAPOLIS — For the first time since the Bears acquired Jay Cutler nearly six years ago, he can't say where he stands with the organization.

Given multiple opportunities to back Cutler as the team's starting quarterback for 2015, coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace called time out and explained they don't have to make a decision yet and they're not going to.

Don't jump to the conclusion Cutler will not be the starter. When considering a weak free-agent class and similarly thin crop of quarterbacks in the draft, the likeliest scenario remains Cutler starting in what would amount to a prove-it season.

But Pace made it clear that this evaluation process, which introduces an entirely new storyline, is ongoing and that Cutler understands the situation.

"This is unique, us getting here together right now, the whole entire staff," Pace said. "There is a time frame, (but) I don't want to not acknowledge that. It is intelligent and smart of us to utilize that entire time and be thorough with all these decisions. It's not just the quarterback but everybody.
"Why wouldn't we be? I just want to be patient and thorough on the film and talking to the players individually as we go through the whole thing."

The timetable is clear: Cutler's $15.5 million base salary for this season is fully guaranteed, and if he is on the roster March 12 (the third day of the league year), $10 million of his base salary for 2016 is guaranteed. The contract makes trading Cutler highly problematic. But offset language in the contract would minimize and possibly eliminate the Bears' commitment if he is released.

According to a source familiar with the details of the deal, contract negotiator Cliff Stein made the offset language in each of the guarantee provisions apply to money earned from another team throughout the length of the contract. So if Cutler is released before March 12 and he earns $15.5 million over the lifetime of his next contract (not just this coming season), the Bears won't owe him a penny.

"We're not up against a deadline," Fox said. "My experience always has been that you need to gather the information, and in turn, you usually make better decisions. We're in that process, and we'll keep you posted."

This doesn't preclude the Bears from putting their faith in Cutler before free agency opens March 10 and declaring him the man once again. But no longer is this a discussion about whether the 31-year-old is a franchise quarterback.

Pace and Fox want to get to know Cutler better, and they are dissecting what led to the spiral that left the team 5-11 at the end of yet another season without a playoff berth. They're aware that since helping the Bears to the NFC championship game after the 2010 season, Cutler is on his third general manager, third head coach and fourth offensive coordinator.

"So we're going to ask this eight different ways?" Fox said. "I don't think there's any question that there's ability and talent there, but there's a lot more that goes into it."

Pace said they want to look at not just the turbulent 2014 season, in which coach Marc Trestman benched Cutler in Week 16, but the past few seasons.

"Cutler has outstanding physical talent, there's no denying that," Pace said. "It's just getting to know the individual and all of the other intangibles that make a great quarterback. That's what we're doing now. That really takes getting to know the person, right? So that's the process we're going through.
"Me and John have both been around all different kinds of quarterbacks. It's just figuring out him as a person."

This revelation came on the same day the team met with Josh McCown, Cutler's former backup who is now a free agent. McCown has met with the Bills and Jets, and the Browns also are interested. Pace said McCown could be a starter or backup.

The Bears don't need to commit to Cutler right now. He hasn't played well enough in recent seasons to earn a comfort level, even if his contract suggests he has. By taking their time and sifting through all of the information they can find as well as tape, they probably will put Cutler on edge a little bit — and that might be a good thing.

Considering their limited options, it's hard to envision Cutler not being the starter in 2015. But the Bears have basically announced they're taking time to determine whether there is buyer's remorse for the previous regime's decision.

In other words, everybody was mad that they didn't franchise tag Cutler. But if they cut him, it will be 23 million for one year. The same as it would have been if they tagged him. So it works out the same.

The mistake I think Pace is making right now is that he is leaving everything up in the air. That is creating speculation of cutting Cutler and all these Stories about how they want to get rid of him.

Some might even say "They have sources that claim they want to cut him" and then it becomes almost fact.

All that does is lower Cutlers value in any trade talks.

Pace and Fox should have come out with the fact they like Cutler and he is the starting QB, thats the plan and we look forward to seeing it happen.

The commenting about Jay being physically good enough but they need to evaluate his ability to play QB mentally?

Need "Mr Wonderful" to start talking for Pace,

The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.

According to a source familiar with the details of the deal, contract negotiator Cliff Stein made the offset language in each of the guarantee provisions apply to money earned from another team throughout the length of the contract. So if Cutler is released before March 12 and he earns $15.5 million over the lifetime of his next contract (not just this coming season), the Bears won't owe him a penny.

Are you stoned or pissed off, or both, when you create these postings?

I don't think I understand how this works. So they cut him now, how does that affect the cap?

I think I understand how people are perceiving this, just not how it plays out in reality.

Since it's over the remainder of his career... that to me means it's not going to be a relief on the actual 2015 cap because you wouldn't know what the rest of his career earnings are this year.

I'm not cap guru but if he signs with another team, whatever they pay him will count against there cap wouldnt it?

The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.

Oh, and this:

Dan Bernstein ‏@dan_bernstein Feb 18
As was hinted by noncommittal words today, I'm told the #Bears are gauging the trade market for Cutler, if any exists. They'd move him.

I'm not cap guru but if he signs with another team, whatever they pay him will count against there cap wouldnt it?

Oh, and this:

Dan Bernstein ‏@dan_bernstein Feb 18
As was hinted by noncommittal words today, I'm told the #Bears are gauging the trade market for Cutler, if any exists. They'd move him.

Berns should be embarrassed and ashamed of himself. This crap is just bush league.

What a fucking loser. Someone is making him do this right? At CBS? No way he is that fucking dumb and embarrassing to himself.

My sources tell me that the Bears are trying to put a package together to acquire Andrew Luck. If they're able to he will be a Bear.

"The Bears are NOT looking at QB alternative scenarios for this year, Jay Cutler will be the starting QB"

That would be news, telling me a GM is exploring all possible move is really dumbing down the fans....THE NEW SCORE....treating the Fans like Idiots!

I do need to ask now if people are mocking them with fake tweets or are these dans real tweets?

HEY, but they broke thr top 10, so everything is great.

if they arent top 10 next month can we say they are losing listeners?