Jay Cutler is a polarizing figure that has become the subject of an extraordinary amount of criticism on and off the field. Does he actually possess this unlimited potential scouts have talked about for years, or is he an over-the-hill, 30+ year old quarterback that will never change his ways? Safe to say nobody knows the answer to that question but with a new head coach and offensive coordinator for 2015, Cutler is getting a clean slate.

Therefore, when trying to determine Cutler’s future success many people will look at his history. Throughout his career Cutler has put up some interesting numbers that help fuel the debate about his future potential, here’s some of the most interesting ones.

Negative

Head Coaches: 4

Jay Cutler has played for Mike Shanahan, Lovie Smith, Marc Trestman and now John Fox.

Offensive Coordinators: 6

Rick Dennison (2006-08), Ron Turner (2009), Mike Martz (2010 & 2011), Mike Tice (2012), Aaron Kromer (2013) and now Adam Gase (2014).

Career QB Rating: 85.2

Tied with Andy Dalton for the 25th best in NFL history. Lower than notable QBs such as Jeff Garcia, Dante Culpepper and David Garrard.

Salary This Season: $18, 100, 000

Cutler has the 9th highest salary in the NFL for 2015.

Career Playoff Wins: 1

2010 Divisional Playoffs against the Seahawks, 35-24.

Career Wins vs. Packers: 1

Jay Cutler has faced the Green Bay Packers 11 times in his career, he has won once.

Seasons Cutler Led NFL In INTs: 2

In 2014, Cutler tied for the NFL lead with 18 INTs. In 2009, he led the way with 26.

That is seven different reasons why some Chicago Bears fans aren’t as optimistic about Cutler’s future as others. Most Cutler supporters seem to hang their hat on Cutler being the best quarterback in Bears’ franchise history, but that’s pretty easy when your competition is players like Rex Grossman, Cade McNown and Josh McCown.

Positive

Here’s a few other stats that support the other side of the argument.

TDs Last Season: 28

Cutler threw more touchdowns last year than he has any other season in his career.

# of Times Sacked Last Season: 38

Tied for second highest sack total of his career (52).

Pass Attempts Last Season: 561

Highest of his career. Trestman was a moron.

Verdict

The biggest problem with Cutler is the unknown. What would happen if you gave him a functional offensive line, a competent defense, receivers taller than 5’6″ and health for a full season? Nobody knows, but we do know one thing for sure … this is Cutler’s last season to prove to Chicago and the rest of the world that he’s an elite quarterback in the NFL. It’s already been proven that Cutler needs pieces around him to succeed and he has all of those pieces heading into 2015.

It’s make or break time for #6.