#Jay Cutler somehow listed among Chicago Bears’ most influential players

As we approach three months without live team sports, journalists are working overtime to generate content for the rest of the media to discuss. CBS Sports recently did their part by publishing their “Franchise Five” series, lists of the five most impactful players in each franchise’s history.

The Chicago Bears’ list was published on Tuesday, and considering they’re the oldest team in the NFL with a record number of Hall of Famers, surely the list would be full of NFL legends, icons and greats. But after George Halas, Walter Payton, Dick Butkus and Brian Urlacher, the fifth entry on the list was … Jay Cutler?

Yes, CBS decided to include “Smokin’ Jay,” who became one of the most polarizing figures in Bears history during his recent eight-year run with the team. Cutler holds the franchise record for touchdowns and yards, but never made a Pro Bowl with Chicago and became the butt of many jokes due to his outwardly nonchalant attitude (to put it mildly).

Cutler made the list over Mike Ditka (both a Pro Bowl player and a Super Bowl-winning coach for the Bears), Devin Hester (who holds the NFL record for return TDs) and a number of other legends including Richard Dent, Mike Singletary and Gale Sayers. Cutler was certainly underrated and was much better than the motley crew of QBs the team has had in recent years, but it seems like a stretch to list him as one of the franchise’s five most impactful players.

The rules of the “Franchise Five” stated that each team must have a quarterback, but what about Sid Luckman? In his 11 seasons with the Bears, he led them to four NFL championships. Luckman revolutionized the quarterback position in the 1940s, with one sportswriter calling him the “first great T-formation quarterback.”