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22. Lamarr Houston, Chicago, 2014
Initial reports: Five years, $35 million with $15 million guaranteed.
Actual payout by Chicago: $15 million (includes full 2015 salary) - current contract.
Coming off four seasons as a starter at defensive end for the Raiders, Houston was regarded as one of the top pass-rushers heading into free agency -- and Chicago paid him accordingly.
Houston got off to a slow start with the Bears last season, with just one tackle in the first four games and five tackles through seven games. When Houston finally got his first sack in Week 8, he blew off some steam. Unfortunately, he ruptured his right ACL celebrating the takedown of New England backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo -- while the Bears were trailing by 25 points in the fourth quarter.
He declared himself 100 percent heading into this season, going so far as to say, "I'm actually a lot better than I was before the surgery." Houston is listed as a backup linebacker after the Bears switched to a 3-4 defense in 2015. Houston has just four sacks and 17 tackles in 16 games with the Bears to this point, but he still has time to turn things around. Perhaps he turned the corner with two sacks in Monday night's win over the Chargers. It was a chance for Houston to bask, but he did so by performing the same celebration that ended his 2014 season prematurely.
6. Jay Cutler, Chicago, 2014
Initial reports: Seven years, $126.7 million with $54 million guaranteed.
Actual payout by Chicago: $38 million (includes entire 2015 salary) -- current contract.
Cutler has often been compared to the No. 8 player on this list, Jeff George.
Both are Indiana natives with cannon arms who have been criticized for failing to coexist with coaches and teammates. Both produced flashes of brilliance, only to fail spectacularly at times. George was a polarizing figure and a lightning rod for controversy. Cutler is currently both of those things. The difference is that Cutler has been surrounded by more talent over the course of his career, which has allowed him to remain above .500 as a starter.
The Bears' win at San Diego on Monday night could be viewed as a microcosm of the Cutler era in Chicago. He threw two touchdown passes and completed 68 percent of his passes. He also threw a pick-six and benefited from a circus catch by Zach Miller on one of the touchdowns. In the end, many observers still don't know what to make of him a decade into his career. He hasn't played well enough to make the Bears a consistent contender, but he hasn't played poorly enough to be replaced.
So you get a quarterback with statistics slightly above average who draws one of the NFL's highest salaries. In the world of general managers, that places you squarely in purgatory.
The Bears went 8-8 in 2013, and Josh McCown played noticeably better than Cutler in five games as an injury replacement. Nevertheless, Chicago signed Cutler to this massive deal days after the season ended. What followed was a 5-11 record in 2014 and the subsequent firing of general manager Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman.
Since the extension kicked in, Cutler has completed 65 percent of his passes for 5,599 yards with 38 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. To be sure, those are respectable numbers. Nevertheless, Chicago is 8-14 in the 22 games he has started during that span.
So does Cutler deserve credit or blame from Bears fans?
It depends on whom you ask, but consider this:
Cutler had a 27-13 starting record from 2010-12. His record is only 13-20 since then, but his individual stats have actually improved. The Bears' biggest problem is that their defense hasn't been good enough to cover for their up-and-down quarterback. Chicago is allowing an NFL-worst 28.5 points per game in Cutler's past 33 starts. The Bears defense ranked fourth in the league at 18.8 points allowed per game when Cutler was posting that 27-13 record despite lesser individual stats.
Also receiving votes
• Jared Allen, DE, Chicago, 2014: The Bears ultimately will pay Allen $14.7 million for 18 games of work, 41 tackles and 5½ sacks. Chicago traded him to Carolina after three games this season but will incur $11.5 million of his 2015 salary, compared with just $823,000 for the Panthers.
Initial reports: Five years, $35 million with $15 million guaranteed.
Actual payout by Chicago: $15 million (includes full 2015 salary) - current contract.
Coming off four seasons as a starter at defensive end for the Raiders, Houston was regarded as one of the top pass-rushers heading into free agency -- and Chicago paid him accordingly.
Houston got off to a slow start with the Bears last season, with just one tackle in the first four games and five tackles through seven games. When Houston finally got his first sack in Week 8, he blew off some steam. Unfortunately, he ruptured his right ACL celebrating the takedown of New England backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo -- while the Bears were trailing by 25 points in the fourth quarter.
He declared himself 100 percent heading into this season, going so far as to say, "I'm actually a lot better than I was before the surgery." Houston is listed as a backup linebacker after the Bears switched to a 3-4 defense in 2015. Houston has just four sacks and 17 tackles in 16 games with the Bears to this point, but he still has time to turn things around. Perhaps he turned the corner with two sacks in Monday night's win over the Chargers. It was a chance for Houston to bask, but he did so by performing the same celebration that ended his 2014 season prematurely.
6. Jay Cutler, Chicago, 2014
Initial reports: Seven years, $126.7 million with $54 million guaranteed.
Actual payout by Chicago: $38 million (includes entire 2015 salary) -- current contract.
Cutler has often been compared to the No. 8 player on this list, Jeff George.
Both are Indiana natives with cannon arms who have been criticized for failing to coexist with coaches and teammates. Both produced flashes of brilliance, only to fail spectacularly at times. George was a polarizing figure and a lightning rod for controversy. Cutler is currently both of those things. The difference is that Cutler has been surrounded by more talent over the course of his career, which has allowed him to remain above .500 as a starter.
The Bears' win at San Diego on Monday night could be viewed as a microcosm of the Cutler era in Chicago. He threw two touchdown passes and completed 68 percent of his passes. He also threw a pick-six and benefited from a circus catch by Zach Miller on one of the touchdowns. In the end, many observers still don't know what to make of him a decade into his career. He hasn't played well enough to make the Bears a consistent contender, but he hasn't played poorly enough to be replaced.
So you get a quarterback with statistics slightly above average who draws one of the NFL's highest salaries. In the world of general managers, that places you squarely in purgatory.
The Bears went 8-8 in 2013, and Josh McCown played noticeably better than Cutler in five games as an injury replacement. Nevertheless, Chicago signed Cutler to this massive deal days after the season ended. What followed was a 5-11 record in 2014 and the subsequent firing of general manager Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman.
Since the extension kicked in, Cutler has completed 65 percent of his passes for 5,599 yards with 38 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. To be sure, those are respectable numbers. Nevertheless, Chicago is 8-14 in the 22 games he has started during that span.
So does Cutler deserve credit or blame from Bears fans?
It depends on whom you ask, but consider this:
Cutler had a 27-13 starting record from 2010-12. His record is only 13-20 since then, but his individual stats have actually improved. The Bears' biggest problem is that their defense hasn't been good enough to cover for their up-and-down quarterback. Chicago is allowing an NFL-worst 28.5 points per game in Cutler's past 33 starts. The Bears defense ranked fourth in the league at 18.8 points allowed per game when Cutler was posting that 27-13 record despite lesser individual stats.
Also receiving votes
• Jared Allen, DE, Chicago, 2014: The Bears ultimately will pay Allen $14.7 million for 18 games of work, 41 tackles and 5½ sacks. Chicago traded him to Carolina after three games this season but will incur $11.5 million of his 2015 salary, compared with just $823,000 for the Panthers.
