The Chicago Bears may have to take unprecedented action to trade Jay Cutler. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bears could become the first team to ever give up a player and a draft pick in exchange for a lower draft pick. The Bears would be willingly making an unfair trade against themselves, but they may have to dump Cutler's $25.5 million in guarantees still owed to him.

The Bears may be looking to cut ties with the quarterback after signing him to the richest contract in the NFL this past offseason. The team is mired in a 5-9 season for which Cutler has absorbed a lot of blame. Cutler leads the NFL with 18 interceptions and 24 total turnovers this season.

A trade would amount to a salary dump. Any potential partner has to give up nominal compensation, otherwise the Bears might be willing to give Cutler away for nothing. In Schefter's scenario, the Bears could give up (hypothetically) Cutler AND a first round pick for another team's sixth round pick.

Cutler hasn't lived up to his contract, and leaked reports that put him at odds with the Bears' coaching staff have perhaps made his position on the team untenable. The Bears would invite derision by giving up a high draft pick along with Cutler, but they may have no other recourse at this point.

★★★