Rewind a full calendar year. In January of 2015, quarterback Jay Cutler was on the most uncertain ground of his career. He had led the league in turnovers with 24 and suffered through a very public rift between himself and the coaching staff of Marc Trestman and Aaron Kromer. At one point he was even benched for a game while the team continued its slide to a 5-11 finish.

Trestman was fired shortly after the season ended, leaving some to wonder if the new regime would make it a point to have him go next. After all, Cutler had just one winning season in the six he’d been quarterback for the Bears and he’d already burned through two different head coaches and four offensive coordinators.

For a time it felt like new GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox tried to do just that, but in the end the decision was made to keep Cutler in place. The hope was that a new offensive coordinator, one who actually had a prior relationship with the quarterback, as well as a recommitment to the ground game would help curtail some of the problems that had dogged the 32-year old in the past.

Safe to say the arrival of Gase made a significant difference. Cutler is one game away from finishing his first complete season as a quarterback with single digit interceptions. He has 3, 414 passing yards with 19 touchdowns and eight picks. His efficiency has jumped up by leaps and bounds, and Jay ensured it was known that he’d taken notice. How? By getting Gase a thank you present.

#Bears OC Adam Gase says he was surprised when Jay Cutler brought tailor to Halas Hall to measure him for a custom suit as a thank you gift. — Zach Zaidman (@ZachZaidman) December 31, 2015

A tailored suit is a long way from the things he used to give his offensive coordinators including lack of trust, cold shoulders and F-bombs on occasion. Gase’s efforts have all but ensured Jay Cutler will be the Bears quarterback in 2016, something the experts thought was impossible at this point.

Perhaps the suit isn’t just a thank you, but maybe even a small bribe to get him to stay, what with Gase expected to garner heavy interest from teams looking for a head coach.