Bears' Cutler Brushes Off Negative Comments

By ESPN

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler brushed off negative comments directed at him by former teammate and current Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett, who questioned Cutler's on-field decision making in a recent ESPN The Magazine interview.

"I don't know. I'm really not going get into that," Cutler said Wednesday. "Most receivers and tight ends are always open. So hopefully [quarterback] Tom [Brady] I guess can do a better job of finding him than I did.

"I don't know, man. I could say something clever and smart, but I'll just pass."

Bennett, whom Chicago traded to New England in the offseason, openly complained about his role last year before the Bears placed him on injured reserve with a ribs injury on Dec. 8. The veteran tight end earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2014, when he caught a career-high 90 passes for 916 yards and 6 touchdowns, but Bennett, who boycotted Chicago's entire voluntary offseason program over a contract dispute the following offseason, suffered a steep decline in production in 2015 (53-439-3 in 11 games) that he partly blamed on Cutler.

"I'd be open and he'd throw into double coverage," Bennett told ESPN The Magazine.

"Worst quarterback in the NFL," Bennett's brother, Michael, who plays for the Seattle Seahawks, added.

Bears Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long said he was uninterested in what the Bennett brother's had to say, pointing out that neither one is on Chicago's 2016 roster.

"I [couldn't] care less what somebody not on our team thinks about our team or our players," Long said. "We've got our guys, and we've got our team. And yeah, best of luck to them."

Bowman, 49ers Agree To Extension

On Monday, NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus appeared at the San Francisco 49ers second training camp practice. Afterward, he and client NaVorro Bowman, the team's star linebacker, were seen walking upstairs to the offices that rise above the practice fields.

By Wednesday night, Bowman and the 49ers had agreed to a four-year contract extension, which will be added to the three years Bowman had remaining on his previous contract. Sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that the four-year extension is worth $44 million, including $20 million guaranteed.

Bowman's new-look pact takes him through the 2022 season and solidifies his standing as a franchise centerpiece for coach Chip Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke.

At 28, Bowman is coming off a bounce-back season in which he overcame a devastating knee injury that cost him the entire 2014 season to earn his fourth first-team All-Pro honors in 2015. By his own admission, Bowman wasn't at full strength in 2015, but he managed to lead the NFL in tackles, with 154 to go with 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

Entering this season, Bowman made it clear that he feels stronger and ready to prove he has plenty of good football ahead of him.