Bears sign Jay Cutler to seven-year contract extension

The Chicago Bears didn’t wait long to answer one of the biggest questions of the NFL off-season.

The Bears announced Thursday they had signed Jay Cutler to a seven-year contract extension, ending the speculation they might allow the strong-armed quarterback to become a free agent.

Although Cutler played well under first-year Coach Marc Trestman, he missed six games because of injury. That opened the door for backup Josh McCown, who completed 66.5% of his passes with 13 touchdowns and one interception, leading to speculation the Bears might cut loose the expensive Cutler and use McCown as a bridge until they found a new, young quarterback to develop.

The terms of Cutler’s deal were not announced, although he is expected to earn in the range of $18 million-$20 million per season.

Said Bears General Manager Phil Emery: “We’re very excited to have Jay for the long term. He battled through the tough times and kept fighting.”

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