Should The Philadelphia Eagles Pursue Jay Cutler?

One consistent problem that the Philadelphia Eagles have had this season other than the secondary play, is the play from the quarterback position. All season long the Eagles have won more so in spite of the quarterback rather than because of it.

The Eagles’ quarterbacks have turned the ball over way too much this year. The team has 33 turnovers overall, but 24 of them or 73%, have come at the hands of Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez.

In a quarterback oriented league, having a problem at the quarterback position is something that you can’t have. Chip Kelly is three years into his tenure in Philadelphia and is arguably still without somebody that he can build his team around.

Whether you’re a Foles fan or Sanchez fan, one thing is clear when the 2014 season is said and done. The Philadelphia Eagles need a quarterback. It may not be as pressing of a need as cornerback, or safety, but with the importance of the position, it should definitely be up there.

A possible solution for the Eagles that has recently come up, is the possibility of trading for Chicago Bears’ Jay Cutler. The Bears quarterback was officially benched this week in favor of Jimmy Clausen, and considering the major overhaul that is expected in Chicago, there is a chance he isn’t back with the team.

Blame Cutler all you want for the Bears’ problems and the fact that he leads the NFL in turnovers, but he also isn’t getting much help. The Bears’ defense has allowed an NFL-worst 29-points per game and allowed the third worst most yards per game(382.5), the usual stellar Brandon Marshall is on pace to miss the 1,000 yard mark for the first time since his rookie season, and there is no doubt that head coach Marc Trestman is in over his head at the NFL level.

The former Vanderbilt quarterback is capable of being a top quarterback, has been to the playoffs, and has consistently won games in the NFL.

When Cutler had a decent coach in Lovie Smith and good offensive coordinator with Mike Martz, the Bears went to the NFC Championship game. The turnover-prone, Cutler, also had a career best +7 touchdown to interception ratio despite being the most sacked quarterback in the NFL.

Who’s to say an offensive mind like Chip Kelly can’t get that type of production out of Cutler? He certainly has gotten Mark Sanchez to play some of the best football of his career. Cutler is much more mobile than Foles, and has a better arm than Sanchez.

The Bears quarterback wouldn’t come at a cheap price as he would cost $16.5 million against the cap, and most likely Foles wouldn’t be back in Philadelphia if Cutler was acquired. However, is Foles really the answer at quarterback?  If Cutler is someone who can take this offense to the next level, wouldn’t the $16.5 million be worth it?

Not to mention there would always be the opportunity for the two sides to rework his deal and bring that number down. While Cutler may not have much of an incentive to do so, if it means getting out of Chicago, it could be something he would consider.

Cutler is on the wrong side of 30, but the Eagles haven’t had consistent play at the quarterback position since Donovan McNabb was in his prime.  In order to take the next step, the Eagles are going to need better play from the quarterback position, and unfortunately the Eagles aren’t in a position to take Marcus Mariota. Cutler has all the talent in the world which makes the possibility of trading for the Bears quarterback something Howie Roseman and Chip Kelly will need to seriously consider as we head into the offseason.