Do you remember where you were when the Bears traded for Jay Cutler?



“Yeah, it was the day after April Fools,” ESPN 1000 radio host Carmen DeFalco said. “Really, at first, I was like, ‘Is this a joke? Are people messing with us?'”



It wasn’t a prank.



On April 2, 2009, the Bears traded for their long-awaited franchise quarterback, a 25-year-old with a rocket arm. Cutler’s availability was rare, a byproduct of the Broncos firing longtime coach Mike Shanahan and replacing him with Bill Belichick disciple Josh McDaniels.



Cutler grew up as a Bears fan in Santa Claus, Ind. and was coming off a Pro Bowl season. It felt like kismet. What it became was the most polarizing sports story in Chicago for the better part of a decade.



The Bears are in a much better place now with Mitch Trubisky, Khalil Mack, Matt Nagy and a well-balanced roster that looks capable of getting back to the Super Bowl. But the Cutler...