On Friday, Jay Cutler turned 33.
The Bears celebrated by giving Cutler the gift of security. Yes, they seem to give their quarterback the same thing almost every year, but it means more entering Cutler’s eighth — yes, eighth — season in Chicago.
As if rewarding Cutler for the improved efficiency he showed in 2015, the Bears avoided selecting his successor during the three-day NFL draft. They passed on trading down and targeting Memphis’ Paxton Lynch in the first round, resisted any temptation to take Michigan State’s Connor Cook as he slid into the fourth, and ignored the urge to nab Stanford’s Kevin Hogan after that.