Chicago Bears Come Out In Support Of Jay Cutler

Dec 28, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) passes against the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 13-9. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace gave the official confirmation on Wednesday that Jay Cutler will be the team’s starting quarterback in 2015. Pace’s commitment to Cutler came after speculation that the quarterback was being shopped on the trade market.

Chicago Bears’ general manager Ryan Pace announced during a press conference on Wednesday that Jay Cutler will be the team’s starting quarterback in 2015.

“We’ve made that decision,” Pace said. “Like I said before, we went through a process of thoroughly evaluating the roster, and we’re moving forward with Jay Cutler as our starting quarterback.”

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Fox denied reports that the Bears were shopping Cutler with the intention of moving the quarterback. As such, Pace believes there is no fence that needs to be mended between the Bears and Cutler.

“This is a new group that’s coming together, new general manager, new head coach, new coaches,” Pace said. “This was just a process for us all. So I don’t feel like there’s any fence mending [that needs to be done]. He understood the process that we were going through. We’re excited together going forward.”

Bears’ head coach John Fox also spoke at the press conference on Wednesday and was appreciative of what the new regime learned while evaluating Cutler.

“We made the commitment,” Fox said. “Time will tell for all of us. We’ve not even been on the grass yet. I’ve watched Jay compete in the past. We gained a lot of information. Moving forward I think there’s a talent level there, obviously we feel good enough to explore. Like all our players, they’re going to get a chance to compete and see how we perform. That’s the exciting part about this. This game is about relationships. We wanted to explore those and get comfortable with those before we made the decision. That’s why we took as much time as we could to evaluate and assess the situation.”

In terms of what Fox is looking for out of Cutler in 2015, the head coach told reporters that like any player, Cutler needs to work to get better.

“I think the biggest thing for me is a guy willing to work,” Fox said. “If a guy will work at it, he can get better. If a guy’s not willing to work at it, he’s not getting better. In this league you don’t stay the same. You’re either getting better or you’re getting worse. So what I saw and learned of him is intelligence. He’s willing to work at it. So I think he’s capable of improving.”