[usconservative]

Now that he has his contract to pay him more money than he needs to live the rest of his life he has even less reason to change.

DING! Winnner! As I said the day the Bears signed Cutler in the first place, he'll never be anything other than a low to mid-tier QB in the NFL, and on most teams would never have been the starter in the first place. Once they get the big guaranteed contract, they're set. They're done. No need to risk getting hurt and playing hard.

You're exactly correct that signing the big dollar guaranteed contracts almost always takes away the incentive for a player to continue to perform at a high level.

Flacco (Ravens) and Manning (NY Giants) come to mind. As does Jared Allen who the Bears acquired from Minnesota this year.

[colorado tanker]

One exception: Peyton Manning. Despite the big money and already being a lock for the Hall of Fame, he still drives himself and everyone around him as hard as he can.

But I would hasten to add I haven't seen another QB like him.