LAKE FOREST, Ill. – After the Bears agreed to terms with free agent Orlando Pace, general manager Jerry Angelo fielded only one question about the seven-time Pro Bowler during a 20-minute teleconference with the media.

Jay Cutler, the 11th overall pick in the 2006 draft, joins the Bears after spending his first three seasons with the Denver Broncos.

It’s not that Pace’s addition isn’t a big deal; it’s just that it isn’t every day—or every decade for that matter—that the Bears land a franchise quarterback like they did Thursday, especially a 25-year-old who’s coming off a Pro Bowl season.

“When you just look at the history of the league, I can’t recall a situation quite like this,” Angelo said after the Bears acquired Jay Cutler and a 2009 fifth-round draft pick from the Broncos in exchange for quarterback Kyle Orton, first-round selections in 2009 and 2010 and a third-round choice in 2009.

“How [the situation between Cutler and the Broncos] matriculated to the point it got to, I can’t answer that. All we did was reacted to a situation that we felt would benefit our football team.”

Angry that new Denver coach Josh McDaniels had tried to trade for Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel, Cutler wasn’t painted in the most positive light by some media outlets during an ongoing feud with the Broncos. But Angelo isn’t worried about Cutler’s attitude.

“I don’t personally have any concerns,” said the general manager. “Lovie [Smith] and I talked about that. We did a lot of work—like I’m sure a lot of people that were interested in trading for Jay—not just when he was in Denver, but going back to his days at Vanderbilt.

“One of our area scouts, Rex Hogan, lives right in the Nashville area, and he really developed a great rapport during the process prior to the draft.

“We felt that [Cutler] is a very good person, a good leader. He had some things that happened in Denver. We recognize those, but we treated them as just speed bumps; part of the growing process. He’s highly competitive, he’s highly emotional. That just comes with the territory.”

What also comes with the territory is a big, rocket-armed passer with great mobility. Last season the 6-3, 233-pounder was sacked only 11 times while throwing 616 passes.

“When a quarterback has the ability to extend a play, to me it can’t be minimized,” Angelo said. “Cutler has demonstrated that ability—not only in college but with the Broncos. I think it’s a tremendous asset.”

In his first full season as a starter in 2007, Cutler completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 3,497 yards with 20 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and an 88.1 passer rating. He was then voted to the Pro Bowl in 2008 after connecting on 62.3 percent of his passes for a Broncos-record 4,526 yards with 25 TDs, 18 interceptions and an 86.0 rating.

Angelo reported that Cutler is thrilled to join the Bears, a team he rooted for while growing up in Santa Claus, Ind.

“He’s like everybody—a little bit in shock and excited,” Angelo said. “One of the things that was communicated to us throughout is that he’s a big Bears fan. He grew up a Bears fan, and he’s excited he’s going to be here in Chicago. He’s a Midwesterner, so he knows a lot about our history as a club.”

Unfortunately, that history doesn’t include a whole lot to brag about at the quarterback position. Hall of Famer Sid Luckman, who retired 59 years ago, still holds Bears career passing records with 14,686 yards and 137 TDs.

Angelo, of course, is hoping that will change with Cutler. Asked if now has the best quarterback in the NFC North, the Bears general manager said: “We’re going to have to wait and see how he plays. 

“We feel good about who he is obviously. We made a tremendous commitment. But he’s got to go out there and do it. He’s up for the challenge, I know that in talking to him. He’s excited about being in the NFC. He’s excited about being a Chicago Bear, and that’s what the starting point will be for Jay Cutler.”