Let the Jay Cutler-to-the-Jets rumors begin.
On Wednesday, the organization announced the hiring of former Bears assistant Jeremy Bates, 40, as their new quarterbacks coach.
Bates, the son of former NFL and college coach Jim Bates, last coached in 2012 when he held the same position with the Chicago Bears. His signal-caller at the time? Jay Cutler.
There’s speculation that the Bears are interested in moving on from Cutler, whom they signed to a seven-year, $126.7-million in 2014. The 33-year-old quarterback carries a $16-million cap hit in 2017. CBS Sports reported last week that Chicago is seriously interested in trading for Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who played at Eastern Illinois.