Jay Cutler’s season ends due to shoulder surgery, career with Bears possibly over too

Jay Cutler may have played his last game with the Chicago Bears after the team announced his 2016 season is over due to a shoulder injury. On Saturday, Cutler underwent surgery and was placed on injured reserve on Monday.

Cutler, 33, suffered the labrum tear in Week 11 and missed Week 12, but Bears coach John Fox insisted that, contrary to media reports, the quarterback would return before the end of the season.

He is the third quarterback for the Bears to land on the injured reserve, joining Brian Hoyer and Connor Shaw.

Starting in Cutler’s place for the remainder of the year will be former Philadelphia Eagles fourth-round pick Matt Barkley, who threw his first career touchdown pass in a start in Week 12. It’s difficult to imagine Barkley is the quarterback of the future for the Bears, but the former highly touted USC Trojans quarterback did play well against the Tennessee Titans and was a dropped touchdown pass away from leading Chicago to a victory.

With Cutler due to make $12.5 million in 2017, in addition to a $2.5 million roster bonus, it’s possible that the Bears will cut ties with the quarterback as they embarks on a full-scale rebuild. However, that’s not a terribly expensive price tag for Chicago to take on if it feels Cutler can contribute as a backup, so it’s still a possibility he could return another year.

The question for the Bears will be how they improve the quarterback position in the offseason, whether that’s through free agency or the 2017 NFL draft.

Cutler was the No. 11 overall selection in the 2006 NFL draft of the Denver Broncos and spent three seasons with the team, making a Pro Bowl in 2008. Following his first and only career trip to the Pro Bowl, the Broncos traded Cutler to the Bears along with a fifth-round pick in exchange for Kyle Orton, first-round selections in 2009 and 2010, and a third-round pick in 2009.

In eight seasons with the Bears, Cutler has a 51-51 record and is the franchise’s all-time leading passer with 23,443 yards, 154 touchdowns, and 109 interceptions.