Bears' staff noncommital on Cutler, Marshall
INDIANAPOLIS - After little more than a month together on the job, Bears head coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace are still in the early stages of evaluating the personnel they've inherited.
No final decisions have been made, and that includes quarterback Jay Cutler and wide receiver Brandon Marshall, two of the three highest-paid players on the roster.
In six seasons with the Bears, Cutler has put up some impressive numbers while failing to play up to expectations. Last season, Cutler led the league in turnovers with 24. Marshall, a five-time Pro Bowl player, has already been traded twice in his NFL career because off-the-field issues have accompanied his on-field production.
Cutler is guaranteed $15.5 million for this season, and he gets $10 million for the 2016 season if he's still on the roster on March 12 of this year.
Asked specifically if Cutler is their quarterback for the 2015 season, Pace hedged.
"We're still evaluating all that," the Bears GM said. "(We're) going through this whole thing, so I don't want to rush into any decisions. I want to max out the time that we have and just be thorough with every one of these (decisions)."
Fox agreed the evaluation process was ongoing with many options to weigh.
"I don't think there's any question that there's ability and talent there," Fox said of Cutler. "But there's a lot more that goes into it, and we're evaluating that as we speak."
Fox admitted interest in free agent quarterback Josh McCown after meeting with him over dinner Tuesday.
"There's obviously interest, or we probably wouldn't have met with him," Fox said. "He's a guy that's had opportunities as a starter in this league. He's served as a backup. He's the right kind of guy, I know from my perspective, that you want on your football team.
"So we'll see where it goes. He's got relationships with a lot of people in this league - you know they have high opinions of him."
McCown had a career year with the Bears in 2013 (13 touchdowns, 1 interception, 109.0 passer rating) before signing a two-year $10 million deal with Tampa Bay last year, but he was cut last month. McCown also played two seasons for Fox with the Carolina Panthers, and he developed an excellent rapport with Cutler and everyone else in the Bears' locker room.
Fox said he has not discussed with Marshall his involvement with the "Inside the NFL" TV show on Showtime. But Fox appears against that relationship continuing if Marshall stays with the Bears.
"Regardless of who it is," Fox said, "their focus and energy needs to remain on what's going to help us win a championship."
On the field in 2014, Marshall had 61 catches for 721 yards, which was his least productive season since his rookie year in 2006. Before last season, he had seven consecutive seasons with more than 1,000 yards receiving.
"He's had great production," Fox said. "He's a big target. That helps you a lot in the red area, and he's done it in this league. We're trying to evaluate where everybody fits and how we can best use them and put the best football team on the field. He's part of that process."
How much of a part remains to be seen.
"I don't know if it's fair to give a full evaluation when I only took part of the test," Fox said. "We've still got more questions on the test and (then) hopefully make the best decision for our football team."
Marshall has a reputation as a player who can be a distraction to teammates, as his locker room tirade following the 27-14 loss to Miami in Week Seven demonstrated.
"Sometimes these reputations outside the building, you get inside, and it's not what you expected," Pace said. "We need to make our own decisions and our own judgments, and that's the process we're going through right now."
Marshall is guaranteed a base salary of $7.5 million if he's on the roster March 13. Cutting him would save the Bears that money, but it would result in a $5.625 million cap hit, the prorated remaining portion of the $7.5 million signing bonus in the four-year, $39.3 million contract he signed before last season.
• Bob LeGere will have more from the NFL Scouting Combine later today. Follow Bob on Twitter@BobLeGere.