Jay Cutler: Dead Wrong

So we figured we weigh in on the whole Jay Cutler/Bus Cook vs. Josh McDaniels/Pat Bowlen saga, because, well, why not? It's the hot story, right?

Anyways, this whole thing started about three weeks ago when the Denver Broncos had the audacity to listen to trade offers for their franchise quarterback. Now, ordinarily, when you have a guy who just threw for 4,500 yards and went to the Pro Bowl, you declare him off-limits. And there's no one who follows professional sports who wouldn't have been shocked if we read that Cutler had been traded. So any angst on the part of Jay Cutler is understood, and even empathized with.

Purely as a matter of PR, the Broncos automatically tried to put their spin on it, but we all knew what had happened. But here's my question: What were the Broncos supposed to do? When the phone rang on the first day of free agency, were they supposed to let it go to voicemail? The only thing the Broncos did wrong was let Cutler find out - like we all did - from Adam Schefter's Blackberry. And, again, we can all understand his frustration when he heard his name circulating in trade rumors.

Here's where we diverge, though. By the time the story had leaked, Matt Cassel, who was the supposed object of McDaniels' desire, had already been shipped off to the Kansas City Chiefs with Mike Vrabel for a second round pick. Considering the fact that the trade talks had apparently been originated by other teams inquiring about Cutler, the fact that no trade happened seemed to indicate that Bronco management wasn't interested in dealing their quarterback.

For a reasonable person, that would have been the end of the story. Sure, Cutler has the right to be miffed that his name was included in trade rumors, but the fact of the matter is that he was not traded. At the end of the day, the Broncos made the decision that they wanted to move forward with what they had. McDaniels - who happened to be one of the most coveted young coaches on the market - made it pretty clear that his decision to go to Denver was strongly influenced by the opportunity he would have to coach one of the best young quarterbacks in the football. Management spent most of early free agency adding talent on both sides of the ball to make their star quarterback's job easier, having the most active share in free agency of any team in the NFL. Obvious to anyone without an axe to grind was the fact that the Broncos were committed to winning, and were going to be proactive about making that possible.

Apparently Cutler was not convinced of the Broncos loyalty, and grind his axe he did. And not that he doesn't have reason to be frustrated with the events of the past few months: the Broncos coughed up a four game lead in the last month of the season, including a total thrashing in a deciding Week 17 loss to the eventual AFC West champion San Diego Chargers; Cutler's well-respected coach and mentor Mike Shanahan was fired after 14 seasons and two Super Bowl wins; after McDaniels was named head coach, he got rid of offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates, who Cutler was under the impression would be a mainstay; a month and a half later, he hears that he might be traded. We get why he would be upset with the Broncos.

But does he really think that being traded would be the best thing for him and his career? The answer to that question is unclear, but we do have reason to believe that Cutler isn't thinking about what's best for his career right now. It seems that, in his quest to be identified as the whiniest, most petulant quarterback in the NFL, his objective is only to get his way. It's regrettable, because he could be the next big thing at the quarterback position. He plays in a division that went 23-41 last season, a division that it only took eight wins (and a tiebreaker) to claim. His offense was one of the most productive in football last year, and the owner hired a guy who orchestrated what was perhaps the most prolific offensive attack of all time just two years ago. Isn't the sky the limit for this guy as a Bronco?

I hope Cutler and McDaniels can repair this rift and get on the same page. If they can get past this rocky start and learn to trust and respect one another, there could be some serious fireworks for a long time in the Mile High City.