Jay Cutler To Sign One-Year Deal With Miami Dolphins
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The Miami Dolphins and free agent quarterback Jay Cutler may be about to join forces.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport was the first to report that the Dolphins and Cutler have agreed to a deal.
He's back: QB Jay Cutler is coming back. Sources say he's agreed to sign with the #Dolphins.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 6, 2017
Multiple sources are confirming that Cutler is signing a one-year deal with Miami worth $10 million, plus incentives.
$5 million of that amount is Cutler's base salary, which would indicate that Miami views him as the starting quarterback.
It was thought if that Cutler, 34, signed with the Dolphins, he would come in and compete with Matt Moore for the starting job, with one acting as the others insurance policy should an injury pop up.
The Dolphins have had quite the week dealing with their quarterback situation.
The team was left scrambling when starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill went down after a non-contact injury to his left knee, the same knee he partially tore the ACL and MCL last December.
While Tannehill's ultimate status for the 2017 season remains up in the air, it's clear that with or without surgery he is going to miss significant time.
The signing of Cutler could very well indicate that Tannehill will elect to have season-ending surgery on his knee, though nothing has been said by the team other than that all options are on the table.
The Miami Herald has reported that Tannehill's new injury caused damage to his ACL.
With Moore at the helm following the injury to Tannehill, the Dolphins still felt the need to bring in a veteran that could shoulder the team if necessary.
The young QBs already on the roster, Brandon Doughty and David Fales, are not ready to take on that task.
As for Cutler, he enjoyed his best pro season while working under Dolphins head coach Adam Gase.
In 2015, Gase was offensive coordinator in Chicago and helped Cutler to a career-high passer rating of 92.3.
Cutler threw for 3,659 yards, 21 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions that season while completing 64.4 percent of his passes.
Gase played an integral role in convincing the retired QB to step away from a broadcasting position with FOX and come back to the NFL.
With the two now reunited in Miami, and the Dolphins' offense featuring a plethora of weapons at Cutler's disposal, one has to wonder what the ceiling is for this unit and whether it is any worse despite losing its starting quarterback last week.