When the Bears acquired Jay Cutler from the Broncos in 2009, Cutler’s availability was the first red flag.
The Bears were able to trade for a 25-year-old quarterback coming off a Pro Bowl season because Cutler was miffed that new Broncos coach Josh McDaniels sought to acquire Patriots backup Matt Cassel — whom McDaniels had tutored in New England — and Cutler wanted out. Even after the Cassel deal fell through, Cutler demanded a trade because he felt he couldn’t trust McDaniels.
It was a stroke of good fortune for the Bears and general manager Jerry Angelo, but the red flag still was there.