With one short statement from Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, the direction of his franchise shifted. Two days later, franchise quarterback Jay Cutler was headed to Chicago.
The departure of Cutler from the Broncos began when he was involved in trade talks and wasn't pleased. He and coach Josh McDaniels couldn't patch things up in a month, although McDaniels said he wanted Cutler as his quarterback. That changed abruptly with an announcement on March 31.
"Numerous attempts to contact Jay Cutler in the last 10 days, both by head coach Josh McDaniels and myself, have been unsuccessful," Bowlen said in a statement. "A conversation with his agent earlier today clearly communicated and confirmed to us that Jay no longer has any desire to play for the Denver Broncos."
Bowlen said the team would look into trade possibilities. There was plenty of interest for a 25-year-old quarterback who threw for 4,526 yards and 25 touchdowns last season.
Chicago landed Cutler for a package including a pair of first-round picks, including one in 2010, and quarterback Kyle Orton.
The Broncos lose a Pro Bowl quarterback just entering his prime but did get a lot in return. They now hold the 12th and 18th picks of the draft, which could be used to shore up a couple of defensive holes or one of the picks could be used on a quarterback for the future. Orton is likely a stopgap option, although he did look good at times last year with Chicago.
Giving up a franchise quarterback is difficult, especially one that just completed his third season, but the Broncos apparently felt the situation could not be fixed. They moved quickly once they announced Cutler was on the block, completing a trade in less than 48 hours.
Public sentiment in Denver had turned a bit on Cutler as the saga drew on and the quarterback didn't participate in offseason workouts and didn't seem open to working things out in Denver. Cutler requested a trade in March.
