Chicago Bears will release QB Jay Cutler

Previous quarterback moves by Pace and the Fox coaching staff involved backups. Getting overly excited about a player who has thrown 11 passes in the past two seasons is hard, and it seems like re-signing Brian Hoyer for less money could have been a smarter move. They still have Kevin White, a first-round pick from 2015, who can be a No. 1 receiver, but he’s only managed to play four games in two years. In total, Cutler ends his Bears career with 14 franchise records.

Although Cutler, 33, has a reputation for being moody, it’s easy to see why the Jets already have reached out.

You should know: Cutler led the National Football League with 24 turnovers (18 interceptions).

If true, it must mean the Bears, as long suspected, are moving on from the disappointing Cutler and the final four years of the seven-year, $127-million contract extension he signed in 2014.

While Cutler has been erratic in the past he is the most seasoned and viable option at QB on the free agent market. The 2013 third-round pick out of North Carolina State completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 4,100 yards and threw 30 touchdowns to 15 interceptions during his time with the Buccaneers. But his last starts were in the 2014 season.

Cutler is the Bears’ all-time passing leader in terms of touchdowns and yards, and he ranks 37th all-time in passing yards, ahead of Kurt Warner, Sonny Jurgensen and Randall Cunningham. At the height of his performance, Chicago Bears made a decision to take in Jay Cutler at a high price relative to what his former team, Broncos of Denver offered him.

Cutler guided Chicago to just one playoff appearance during his eight tumultuous seasons with the team.

Low point: A quick recovery from a left groin injury was spoiled by a high left ankle sprain Cutler suffered in the first half against the Lions on November 10.

Obviously, this was not the plan for Bears’ general manager Ryan Pace when they outlined their strategy for free agency at the start of the off-season. Newly hired quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates was with Cutler in Denver and Chicago, meaning his adjustment to the Jets’ offense would be somewhat easier. His 92.3 passer rating was the best single-season mark of his career, and his third-down rating of 103.2 was fourth best in the NFL.