REPORT: Former Commodore Jay Cutler in Talks With Jets

For those of you who don’t follow the National Football League, or for those who are behind on your NFL news, the Chicago Bears recently released Jay Cutler. Cutler, who is the #1 career passer of all time at Vanderbilt (9,953 yards), ended his tenure with the Bears after eight years and eleven total seasons in the NFL. Cutler’s time in the NFL has been a strange one to say the least. From conflicts with Josh McDaniels in Denver, to people like Mark Schlereth saying he wasn’t “tough” because he wouldn’t keep playing on a torn MCL, to his permanent face of indifference, Cutler always seemed to have some story going about him. Even as he’s statistically the best QB the Bears have ever had, the fans will mostly remember him for being indifferent and throwing a lot of INTs.

It’s a certainty that some team will pick up Cutler, but the who and for what purpose remains up in the air. Available QB talent is lacking, and again, Cutler holds virtually all Bears passing records. So he wouldn’t be a bad pickup for a team in need of a backup, or just a quick way to plug a need until a young QB comes along. A team that could make the playoffs with a better QB or a team that feels a veteran to mentor their younger guys would be a good spot for Cutler. Surely a team in shambles wouldn’t consider an expensive QB such as Cutler?

Enter the New York Jets. When I eventually get cirrhosis, the New York Jets will be at the top of the list of causes. I’ll tour the tri-state area giving talks about the dangers of being a Jets fan. How it’s a gateway drug that leads to not only becoming a VUFB fan, but one that watches games more than once and writes about it. I’ll give speeches about how I knew I hit ‘rock bottom’ drinking Makers straight from the bottle as I stared at my whiteboard trying to justify why a team with a QB who runs a 5.88 decided to call a weak side QB waggle. Entire presentations will be given consisting of pictures of me waking up in a pile of bottles next to a laptop screaming headlines “JETS SET FOR BRETT” or “JETS TRADE FOR DOUG JOLLEY”. I’ll be the Christopher Reeve of cirrhosis. Only hopefully without a really gross episode of South Park written about me.

You’d think after all the praise I have given Cutler over the years, I’d be ecstatic to have him on the Jets. Well, I would have been in 2006. If the Jets got him away from the nightmare that was Josh McDaniels in Denver, I’d have be happy then. Not now. However, as our sister site Gang Green Nation points out, “Of the lousy quarterback options available, Cutler is one of the best. That isn’t saying much.”

The Jets are in a horrible position QB wise. Their QBs are Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty. That’s it. Go ahead and laugh, I’ll wait.

Welcome back.

With a #6 draft position, the Jets are unlikely to pick up Deshaun Watson, and frankly the Jets FO is too stupid to draft him even if he does. Trading up for anyone stupid since we have needs at literally every position. It’s the Jets other needs that give me pause on a Cutler deal. The Jets should be trading down and getting as many picks as possible. Draft skill players for which they’d be ready for a great QB when he comes around. That’s going to take a lot of money. With the release of Marshall, Revis and Mangold, the Jets have freed up nearly 50M in cap space. Those position need filling too, and Cutler made ~17M last year. Even with a pay cut, Cutler would be an expensive player for little obvious gain. The Jets would still lack too many tools to be a competitive club.

Secondly, I am tired of the Jets being the who’s who of QB leftovers. Vick, Favre, Testaverde, Eisason, on and on and on. It’s been a tradition for decades. Even if it ends up with another year like when we started Geno Smith, I’d rather the Jets avoid that kind of crap. Yes, even if it means starting Christian Hackenberg.

Short of the Jets signing him for something comically lower than he was making in Chicago, I see no upside to this. Cutler is a solid player, but the Jets simply are not in a place that he’s a good fit for them. That’s not so much against Cutler, I’m against the Jets signing any of the QBs available right now. Unless Watson somehow fell to the Jets, they have a lot more things to worry about.