The Denver Broncos say now they won't trade quarterback Jay Cutler, but they will have to deal with the fallout from exploring trade opportunities with their franchise quarterback late last month.
After word got out that the Broncos were entertaining trade offers for Cutler, the quarterback made public comments to the Denver Post that he was not happy and that his relationship with new head coach Josh McDaniels had taken a step back.
The news that Cutler was involved in any trade talks was surprising to Broncos fans, who had watched Cutler quickly improve in his three seasons. He made the Pro Bowl after throwing for 4,526 yards and 25 touchdowns last season.
But Cutler was drafted and groomed under the old regime of Mike Shanahan. Shanahan was fired and while McDaniels complimented Cutler, he didn't have the same history with the quarterback.
Now, with former Patriots quarterback and McDaniels protege Matt Cassel in Kansas City, Denver will stick with Cutler. The coaching staff will have to improve the relationship with the quarterback over the offseason.
Cutler's long-term future with the team could also be damaged, but his free agency is still a few years off. Immediately, Cutler has to learn McDaniels' system and work in sync with a head coach who will call the plays this season.
Cutler finally spoke with McDaniels on Monday, but left the conversation believing the team will trade him before the draft April 25-26, according to The Denver Post. The paper reported that McDaniels and owner Pat Bowlen, who was also on the call, came away with a different feeling than Cutler did. A source told the paper that the call was nonconfrontational and that the team said a potential trade never came up.
The conflict began when rumors surfaced that the Broncos fielded calls from Tampa Bay regarding a possible deal that would have had the Patriots trade Matt Cassel to the Bucs, then Tampa Bay would have swaped Cassel for Cutler. Detroit, Cleveland and Minnesota also were mentioned in trade rumors.
Last week, McDaniels said the team only received calls, didn't initiate them, and the team announced March 3: "The Denver Broncos are not trading Jay Cutler. Period." The next question will be whether Cutler arrives at the start of the team's offseason conditioning program Monday.
Chris Simms signed with the Broncos to serve as Cutler's primary backup. He spent last season with Tennessee. According to the Denver Post, the deal is for two years and worth up to $6 million. It includes a $1.5 million signing bonus $1.96 million salary in 2009 and $2.54 million salary in 2010, along with $3 million in incentives.
