As a teammate, Brandon Marshall knows that quarterback Jay Cutler can bounce back from what has been a dismal season in Chicago.
But as a businessman, he isn't sure what he thinks about Cutler's seven-year, $126.7 million contract, which is guaranteed through next season.
"That's tough, man," Marshall said Monday on WMVP-AM, via the Chicago Tribune, when asked specifically about a report from NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport detailing the "buyer's remorse" Chicago currently has. "What I would say is we all know Jay is more than capable of getting it done. It doesn't always fall on him.
"I guess that's why those guys are the highest paid players out there. Because when you win and everything is going good, they get all the glory. And when it's bad, they take more than what they should take. But I can understand that as far as a businessman, I would have buyer's remorse, too."
Marshall has been a great teammate to this point, and although he'll get some criticism for saying this in a public forum, we think it's more refreshing than anything else. We always ask our athletes to be candid until it goes against a certain agenda. Marshall is not saying anything that his other teammates (and probably his general manager) are behind closed doors.
The Bears were riding a momentary high and paid a premium price for a player at a premium position, which few can blame them for. The hope is that they can find a reasonable solution heading into next year and beyond, once they are not burdened with Cutler's contract anymore.
In the interim, don't blame Marshall for saying what everyone was thinking.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps every Sunday game from Week 14 and discusses the Seahawks' return to Super Bowl form. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
