Free agency kicks off soon, and last week we started a countdown of the top 10 Chicago Bears' players set on March 10 to hit the open market. We pick up the series this today with No. 7:
2014 pay: $645,700 ($645,000 base salary, $700 workout bonus).
By the numbers: He played in four games with one start, completing 54.2 percent of his passes for 223 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He had a passer rating of 71.8.
The case for keeping him: It’s difficult to find young, backup quarterbacks with experience. A five-year veteran, Clausen has 11 starts, with the majority (10) coming during his time playing for new Bears coach John Fox in Carolina. During his lone start in 2014, a Dec. 21 loss to the Detroit Lions, Clausen performed well enough to cement status as a bona fide No. 2 option who can get a team through a game in a pinch if the starter goes down.
The case for letting him walk: Fox was forced to throw Clausen into the fire during the quarterback’s rookie season, and that decision ultimately resulted in him losing his job with the Panthers. Although Clausen didn’t play much for the Bears last season, he put enough on tape for teams to feel confident about him as a strong backup option. So there is a good chance Chicago could be competing for Clausen’s services, which in turn could drive up his asking price.
Prediction: Just last season, the Bears chose Clausen as the starter over Cutler, because of the latter’s inability to consistently execute the scheme the way he was asked. If the Bears decide to keep Cutler, it would be a smart move to keep Clausen on the roster, too. In fact, the team should probably open up competition for the starting position. Cutler hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2009, and it’s unclear how he will get along with new quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains and offensive coordinator Adam Gase, provided the team keeps him. So it would be a good idea to keep an experienced player such as Clausen on the roster. It’s doubtful the Bears will have much competition for Clausen’s services. So they should be able to bring Clausen back on a one-year deal very similar to the one he signed last offseason when joining Chicago.