Eight free agent quarterbacks (including two former Bears and two future Bears) have found new homes for the 2017 season, but it appears as though Jay Cutler won’t be joining them:
There's a strong belief at the NFL owners meetings that Jay Cutler won't play in 2017. We'll see. Needs change, even post-draft.
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) March 28, 2017
WGN’s Adam Hoge reports from the NFL owners meetings that there is a “strong belief” Cutler will sit out 2017. Of course, Hoge notes that needs will change after the draft, so his status could still be up in the air.
There hasn’t been much of a market for Cutler – the much-maligned starter who went 51-51 during an eight-year period in Chicago – but if he does return to the gridiron in 2017, he will be playing in his age 34 season.
It’s possible there are numerous reasons conspiring against Cutler’s inability to find a soft landing. Cutler has had troubles staying on the field in recent years, missing 18 games over the last four seasons. He hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2009 – his first with the Bears. However, Cutler did make 15 starts in four of the next seven seasons that followed. In Cutler’s defense, he has taken a bit of a beating over the years, taking 164 sacks since the start of the 2011 season. That adds up to a sky-high 7.2 percent sack rate.
Anyone can see why it would be difficult to stay healthy, taking that many hits in the backfield.
The Jets seemed like a prime landing spot before they signed Josh McCown. And there are still up-in-the-air situations at the starting spot with the Texans and Broncos as they wait out the Tony Romo ordeal in Dallas.
Browsing through the league’s quarterback depth chart, it’s hard to pinpoint a place for Cutler to land as a starter. A lot can change between the offseason and Week 1, but the current outlook for Cutler’s playing future definitely looks bleak.
Even still, he seems to be pretty okay letting it all hang out:
Jay Cutler putting his ass on the line in free agency. https://t.co/eLIzxnM5My
— The Ten-Yard Line (@TheTenYardLine) March 28, 2017