As I understand it, the amounts guaranteed Cutler for 15 and 16 amount to @$26mil. I think for a one year test of him that is prohibitive, and would have to be dealt with somehow. But $13mil a season for a mid tier NFL Qb is not all that outrageous, as you imply.
The financial consideration is not relevant to my point because I am talking about the cap ramifications which is the same if the Bears pay back all $15 million to the Jets and he is technically free to the accounting statement. He still costs the Jets $15 million against the cap and you don't "pay" him elite cap salary for being average. He is not worth his contract no matter how they offset the monetary cost. Worth is judged by cap cost not how much he actually pockets.
http://www.si.com/nfl/video/2014/12/18/king-potential-trade-cutler If I understand Peter King correctly, your (very reasonable) proposal is prohibited by league rules. I'm very surprised by this. Can anyone confirm that what Peter King says in this short clip is correct?
Here's an excerpt from a Sporting News article where some considerations of a possible Cutler trade are discussed: Trading Cutler The best-case scenario for the Bears is to trade Cutler. If they can find a team willing to accept Cutler, then all future financial responsibilities fall onto Cutler’s new team. The only cap charges that the Bears need to account for in a trade is the $4 million in prorated money that has already been paid to him. The date of the trade makes almost no difference to Chicago financially since no money will change hands in the offseason from the Bears to Cutler. Here is how the cap charges would work out. The team who trades for Cutler would need to assume the $15.5 million guarantee in 2015 and the $10 million guarantee in 2016, as well as the potential for another $6 million in 2016 guarantees. The total cost for a starting quarterback is not unreasonable. A two-year deal worth $31.5 million would be deemed acceptable by most teams in the NFL, but Cutler has now failed with two organizations and multiple coaches. To have to potentially pay nearly $26 million for one season is a deal-breaker. Another option is that the two teams can negotiate an agreement to lessen the financial burden and risk associated with the contract. Though teams cannot trade cash in the NFL as they do in baseball, the Bears can prepay a portion of the contract prior to the trade being made official. In such a scenario the team willing to trade for Cutler would agree to assume the contract, but not the full burden of the deal. As an example a team might be willing to pay Cutler a guaranteed $17 million but no more than that. Chicago would, in this example, pay Cutler $8.5 million of his salary in order to facilitate the trade. Here is how the trade would work out in terms of salary cap charges: While this is not ideal for the Bears, paying $8.5 million is far better than paying $15.5 million. Cutler’s salary would now be considered reasonable to the team that trades for him at $17 million guaranteed at $11.5 million per year. Cutler’s interests are not changed in the contract, as his cash flows remain the same. http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/sto...aranteed-money-benched-clausen-trestman-emery
The Jets have the cap room. And I disagree with the implication the cap number is way out of line with his performance.
The big picture here is that the Jets do not have a lot of options. I think those arguing against ANY deal for Cutler would be well served to explain what other scenario is a better one to pursue. For myself, the worst option is Geno Smith as the 2015 starting quarterback for the NY Jets. Getting Cutler under any reasonable circumstances would be far better than that.
The bold is part of point about Cutler. The issues in Chicago run a lot deeper than Cutler. They're likely going to get a new HC plus their defense and STs are trash. To trade him as though he is the root of their problems is lunacy, and very Idzik-like. I just don't think they are that stupid. Note this is not to say Cutler is any good or not grossly overpaid; I'm just looking it from the perspective of the Bears having a bird in hand. Why give that away unless you absolutely have to?
How many teams decided Vinny wasn't the guy before he showed up in 1998 and took the Jets to the next level?
Vinny was a nice story, but at the end of the day, had one brilliant year and a couple of mediocre ones, before being shot by 2002. Even IF Cutler could ever duplicate what Vinny did here, it would only be worth it at a fraction of his current contract.
Yeah, but once you deem that one of your players is grossly overpaid (and, as a result, eating up way too much of your very precious salary cap), he immediately becomes expendable. He's making 22.5 million dollar this year. That's just obscene.
Every QB who has been better than Cutler and wouldn't come with a $15 million noose is a better alternative than Cutler. He isn't some young, up and coming QB whose talent is waiting for the right opportunity to flourish. He's a bad QB. You haven't made an argument why he isn't as bad as he has shown to be and is worth his cost other than the fact that you simply want to pretend he isn't as bad as he has played and is worth it based on that imaginary version of Jay Cutler you want him to be.
I don't think this is the case. I might be wrong but I believe that who pays the compensation is taken into account against the cap. If the Jets pick up Cutler but the Bears are paying half of his 2015 salary I believe that amount is going to be charged to the Bears cap and not the Jets. The Jets assumed salary cap obligations from the Broncos when they acquired Tim Tebow, agreeing to pay the team monies that Tebow had been advanced on his current contract. Those sums were deducted from the Broncos salary cap and added to the Jets cap.
There are some real questions as to whether or not the bolded is actually allowed under league rules.
It's not that simple. Starting caliber QBs are hard to come by. Having an overpaid one is better than not having one at all. We, as Jets fans, should know this better than anyone. If they fix their leaky defense so that Cutler doesn't have to put the ball in the air as much as he had, they can easily be back in playoff contention. Trading him this off season would be very reactionary and stupid IMO.
