Jay Cutler won’t see a live pass rush for quite a while, but he’s already backpedaling.
The Bears quarterback made headlines in June when he said he’d be “shocked” if running back Matt Forte didn’t sign his franchise tender before the July 16th deadline to sign a multi-year deal, a comment that didn’t seem to please Forte all that much. We’re now just days away from the deadline and Cutler no longer sounds like he’ll be shocked if Forte’s tender goes unsigned.
During an interview on ESPN 1000 in Chicago on Wednesday, Cutler backtracked from his earlier comments and said that “we don’t know what’s going to happen.” That lack of clarity extends to whether or not Forte will be at training camp.
“It’s a business on both ends,” Cutler said. “So if and when we get Matt back, we’re happy to have him.”
The question is really when more than if. Forte said at the end of June that he’s going to be playing for the Bears in 2012, although he could sit out until a week before the first game without jeopardizing any of the $7.7 million he stands to make under the franchise tender so there’s still a chance of a holdout when the Bears get to camp.
Cutler said that he isn’t worried about having limited time to work with Forte, something that he’ll likely be sticking to until Forte actually arrives.