Report: Cutler Had 'Real Discussions' With Jets Just Before Taking Fox Job
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Jay Cutler is headed to the broadcast booth, but he reportedly had another round of talks with the Jets before making the decision to hang up his cleats.
Fox Sports has hired the former Bears and Broncos quarterback, who will call games with Kevin Burkhardt and Charles Davis next season, according to Fox's Peter Schrager.
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But ESPN's Adam Schefter reported, "Before deciding to go to FOX, Jay Cutler had real discussions with Jets, and less-promising ones with Texans. Cutler opted for analyst role."
The Jets reportedly showed some interest in Cutler after he was released by the Bears in March, but they ultimately signed journeyman QB Josh McCown instead.
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Obviously, the Jets and Cutler could not reach an agreement, but if the discussions indeed got serious, it would suggest that Gang Green is not content with its quarterback situation. McCown, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg are set to compete to be the Jets' starter.
General manager Mike Maccagnan also admitted that he wasn't opposed to selecting a quarterback in last week's draft, but he was cautious about not reaching for one.
"Quarterback was a position we looked very strongly at, all through the process, and we put our values on them," Maccagnan told WFAN's Mike Francesa on Tuesday. "And again, if there was a situation where we felt that was the best player available, we would take him."
In a statement released Friday, Cutler said he wasn't sure if "retirement" was the right word to describe his situation.
MORE: McCown Says He's Ready To Do Anything Necessary To Help Jets
"I don't feel that anyone ever retires from the NFL," he said. "You are either forced to leave, or you lose the desire to do what's required to keep going. I'm in between those situations at this point.
"I recently read a quote that struck a chord with me at the time," Cutler added. "It was attributed to Henry Rollins (but with the internet these days, you can never be too sure who really said it). 'I did that, I gave everything I had to give to that. Now, if I returned to that it would be repetition -- it might be fun repetition, but it wouldn't be meaningful repetition.'"
In his 11-year career with Denver and Chicago, Cutler passed for 32,467 yards, 208 touchdowns and 146 interceptions. He is the Bears' all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns. However, Cutler was selected to just one Pro Bowl — in 2008 with the Broncos — and his teams reached the playoffs just once — in 2010 with the Bears.
Last season, Cutler, who tore the labrum in his right shoulder, played in just five games, completing 59.1 percent of his passes for 1,059 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions.
