The heavy price paid by the Bears (two first-round picks, a third-round pick and Kyle Orton) shows the intensity of the Jay Cutler sweepstakes. But the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that one of the teams involved in the Cutler discussion was out of the running because of its coach.

The Sun-Times reports that Cutler nixed any potential trade to the Browns because he wanted no part of coach Eric Mangini, who has a history with Bus Cook clients. Cook represents QB Brett Favre, who played for Mangini with the New York Jets last season.

NFL sources said the Bears were among the most aggressive teams in pursuit of Cutler, but they were hardly alone. Washington, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Cleveland and the New York Jets all tried to seal a deal. The Browns might have won the sweepstakes had Cutler’s agent, Bus Cook, not also represented Brett Favre. The longtime Packers star didn’t mesh last year with Jets coach Eric Mangini, who was fired and landed in Cleveland.

Mangini reportedly was willing to give up Brady Quinn in a deal for Cutler. Quinn, who played for former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis at Notre Dame, might have been a good fit in McDaniels’ system. But Cook made it clear when talks began that Cutler wanted no part of Mangini, and fears that he wouldn’t report to the Browns shut down that deal.

Cutler apparently had no trouble playing for Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner – the same man who rescinded a scholarship offer to the QB when he was the coach at Illinois. Cutler said in his introductory press conference that the incident “was a long time ago,” and that he found it “kind of funny now.” So that evidently won’t be a problem.

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