Jay Cutler gets 7-year contract extension

There has been speculation all season as to whether or not the Chicago Bears would give Quarterback Jay Cutler a contract extension.

 Well, it's happened. 

While Cutler was an above-average starting Quarterback during his time with the Broncos, he has had an up-and-down tenure in Chicago so far. 

Cutler will turn 31 this year which means by the time his contract is up he will be 38. He'll likely only be a Franchise Quarterback for a few more years. $50 million of the contract is guaranteed, a high number for a Quarterback who has not played all 16 games in a season since 2009. 

Another deciding factor would be his stats, however these have been very lackluster:

Jay Cutler By The Numbers [only his statistics from his time with the Bears are given]

2009

7-9 336 of 555 60.5 Cmp% 3,666 yds 27 TD's 26 int's 6.6 YPA 76.8 Rating 

2010

10-5 261 of 432 60.4 Cmp% 3,274 yds 23 TD's 16 int's 7.6 YPA 86.3 Rating 

2011

7-3 182 of 314 58.0 Cmp% 2,319 yds 13 TD's 7 int's 7.4 YPA Rating 85.7

2012

10-5 255 of 434 58.8 Cmp% 3,033 yds 19 TD's 14 int's YPA 7.0 Rating 81.3

2013 

5-6 224 of 355 63.1 Cmp% 19 TD's 12 int's 7.4 YPA 89.2 Rating 

I was one of the people who believed the Bears should re-sign Jay Cutler but he is set to be one of the highest-paid Quarterbacks in the NFL, and while I agree with the front office in re-signing Jay Cutler I would have only signed him for 3-4 years with an option for an additional year and around $11-12 million a year compared to the 7-year $18 million a year contract monstrosity he is "earning."

 Overall I say it depends on how much longer Cutler is a quality NFL Quatrterback to decide whether this is a good deal for Chicago going forward or not.  

Key: Cmp%= Completion% TD's= Touchdowns int's= interceptions YPA= Yards Per Attempt