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Is Jay Cutler done in Chicago?

Stacy Revere / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The spectacularly unspectacular Jay Cutler era in Chicago has spanned eight years, with little to show for it.

Cutler's talent has never been in question, but the same can't be said of his ability to master the finer points of the quarterback position. With Cutler under center, Chicago has remained in football purgatory, not good enough to contend for a Super Bowl, but not bad enough to hit the reset button.

But with Cutler's contract status, the Bears' 0-3 start to the season, and head coach John Fox's refusal to guarantee the quarterback will regain his starting job when healthy, the writing may be on the wall.

Perfect time to start anew

The Bears are on pace to lose a lot of games this season - there's no doubt about it. The chances of a miracle turnaround after starting 0-3 are slim to none, as no team has ever won a Super Bowl under such conditions. And the Bears certainly don't look like history makers.

With a top five pick in the 2017 NFL Draft extremely likely, the Bears won't get a better shot at kicking off a new era than now.

While Chicago can use help all over its roster, the most logical thing to do would be to grab one of the draft's top young quarterbacks, Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer or Clemson's Deshaun Watson.

The majority of the guaranteed money owed to Cutler has been paid. The Bears could cut the veteran and save $14 million against the cap in 2017, with a trade being unlikely due to the structure of the remaining years on the deal.

When the chance to move seamlessly from one franchise quarterback to another presents itself, no team should pass that up.

Fox has little motivation to win now

Fox inherited Cutler. He was never his guy, and the coach would not shoulder the blame should the quarterback's time with the franchise come to a close.

In his second season with the Bears, following a disappointing 6-10 finish in 2015, Fox's job won't be in danger if the Bears bottom out and end up with only three or four wins. With the backing of the Bears' front office, Fox can ride out the last painful season of the Cutler era and then benefit from a high draft pick.

While tanking is never an ideal scenario, with players' and coaches' jobs on the line, there's little reason for Fox to go back from Brian Hoyer to Cutler if he believes the latter will lead the Bears to more wins.

Hoyer is always good for one or two shockingly bad performances per season, so it will be hard to justify keeping Cutler on the bench. Cutler will almost certainly start another game for the Bears, but the club will only be hurting its future prospects by doing so.

The Bears will need to walk a tightrope with Cutler for the rest of the season if they truly intend to move on.

A rookie QB doesn't mean you can't win

Chicago is not without talent. Its start to 2016 has been a disaster and will likely lead to a poor record, but there's a strong core to build around.

Receivers Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White are enviable weapons, Jordan Howard is a talented young back, and the linebacking group is among the most talented in the league, as is the interior of the offensive line.

The blueprint established by the Philadelphia Eagles and Carson Wentz is one the Bears should be following. The Eagles proved, albeit with a little luck, that you don't need to sacrifice a season because you're starting a first-year passer.

Assuming the Bears stay on their current trajectory and land a top pick, they'll have the added advantage of not needing to trade up in the draft to get their quarterback, and could therefore use those valuable picks to shore up the rest of the roster.

Those picks, along with the money saved by cutting Cutler, could accelerate the Bears' reload.

Cutler is not the lone reason Chicago has failed to consistently win games. Outside of 2010, the club has never put enough talent around him. But after eight seasons, it's in the best interest of all parties to end the partnership after 2016.

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