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Chicago Bears bench Jay Cutler for Jimmy Clausen

Frank Schwab
·NFL writer

The Chicago Bears made a heck of a statement this offseason. They gave quarterback Jay Cutler a $126 million contract.

The team was telling everyone that even though Cutler was a mediocre quarterback for eight years, the ninth would be different. He would be paid like he was on the same level as the game's best quarterbacks. And now, 14 games later, they’re benching Cutler for Jimmy Clausen.

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ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reported the news. It’s a stunning move by a team that is falling apart at the seams through constant backbiting, both public and private. The Bears have lost three in a row, there are reports that coach Marc Trestman will be fired, and now the team is starting Clausen (three touchdowns, nine interceptions in his NFL career) over the man they paid like one of the best quarterbacks in football less than a year ago.

Mistakes? Oh, there have been a few.

In fact, this benching might be a mistake. Cutler isn't a great quarterback, with just one Pro Bowl and one playoff appearance in nine seasons and never a quarterback rating higher than 90 in a season (for comparison, much maligned Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has never posted a rating below 90 in a full season). But Cutler's better than Clausen. The move seems to serve no real purpose. Is this a last, final statement by a lame duck head coach, scapegoating the quarterback for the offense's struggles? Is it a desperate move by a coach trying to save his job? Or did the staff become so fed up with Cutler's reckless play that they figured anyone would be better?

Remember that while offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer was probably wrong to be the anonymous source on an NFL Network story ripping Cutler, nothing that he said was really wrong. Cutler has 28 touchdowns, but he also has 18 interceptions, and constantly throwing deep into double coverage doesn't help the offense. Maybe the Bears will try to trade him this offseason, and nobody should trade for a quarterback whose contract far exceeds his accomplishments, but NFL general managers and coaches who are desperate to save their jobs don't always think logically.

Who knows for sure why Trestman is making this move from Cutler to Clausen, but the truth is this: The Bears have an incredibly expensive backup quarterback.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!