The Bears decision to sit Jay Cutler for Sunday's game against the Panthers comes as a relief.
The man is simply too valuable to risk a potentially career ending injury. Especially during an early season game against an 0-4 team.
The Bears paid a $7 million signing bonus to Cutler. He was paid $10 million last season and is scheduled to make at least $7 million this year, and at least $7 million for the next three seasons. The Bears have paid Cutler a great deal of money to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and he can't do that if he is rushed back from a game where he was sacked nine times.
Outside of the financials, the decision to sit Cutler shows that Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo value their man under center. The Bears have done a good job at following the NFL's directive on being cautious with concussions. Earlier this season, Hunter Hillenmeyer was put on injured reserve for the rest of the season in response to Hillenmeyer's concussions.
The Bears currently lead the NFC North in the standings. Leading the NFL in care of their players is way more valuable than that.
