The Facts: Following up on a previous item. ... The Bears will be forced to make a franchise-altering decision at quarterback next week. If Cutler remains on the roster for the start of the new league year next Tuesday, $10 million of his salary for the 2016 season becomes fully guaranteed. If the Bears opt to move on from Cutler, they must find a taker for his salary or fork over $15.5 million in 2015 guarantees for the right to release him. To that end, "teams certainly know that Cutler is available," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Thursday.
Diehards Line:As NFL.com's Chris Wesseling explained, that essentially means the new regime would be committing to Cutler for the next two seasons after the last coaching staff opted to bench him for former Panthers draft bust Jimmy Clausen in December. The Bears are preparing as if Cutler is going to be their starter right now, Rapoport emphasized, but those plans are written in pencil -- as apparently are their plans for Brandon Marshall, who is also said to be available. ... Whatever the case, we'll all have a better understanding of where Cutler stands next Wednesday.