Cutler pens heartfelt farewell note to Chicago after release

After eight years of being blamed for the Chicago Bears' shortcomings, the quarterback who became famous for not caring about the opinions of others seemed genuinely disappointed to be moving on.

Following his release from the Bears, Jay Cutler wrote a farewell note, via ESPN's Jeff Darlington, to the city he called home for the heavy majority of his 11-year career.

Related: Bears' Long posts farewell note to Cutler on Instagram

I would like to first thank the city of Chicago and its passionate fans for a memorable eight years. I grew up in Indiana rooting for the Bears as a kid, so it was an honor to wear the Bears uniform and play quarterback at Soldier Field for my favorite childhood team.

I would like to thank Virginia, George and the rest of the McCaskey family for their support over my tenure in Chicago as well as (former Bears GM) Jerry Angelo, (former Bears GM) Phil Emery and (current Bears GM) Ryan Pace. It was a great experience to have played with such a great list of teammates during my time as a Bear. Also, I would like to thank all of the great employees of the Bears from the locker room to the front office.

Chicago is the city where I met my wonderful wife Kristen (Cavallari). I have been fortunate to have three beautiful children here. Our family will leave Chicago with great memories and relationships on and off the field. We look forward to the next chapter in our lives and wish the best to Bear fans everywhere.