For while, Cutler looked like he was coming here
ASHBURN – Jay Cutler was a Redskin. The compensation was agreed upon, and within moments the three-team deal would be finalized. The Redskins would get their franchise quarterback.
Until the Bears swooped in at the last moment, swung the deal their way and changed the direction of two franchises. Had Washington obtained Cutler, then Mike Shanahan might have landed here a year earlier.
Regardless, he would have been reunited with the quarterback who put up big numbers for him in Denver. Instead, Chicago mortgaged draft picks and traded quarterback Kyle Orton to land Cutler. At the time, sources said one hold-up was that Denver did not want Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell.
“It was definitely a possibility,” Cutler said. “That’s all we heard for a week or so, that Washington was trying to make it happen. At one point we were really close, and I thought that’s where I was going. Then at the last minute it fell through. If that had happened, I would have been under Mike again. It’s just a funny league.”
Not that he thinks much about where he might have gone.
“You can’t,” he said. “There’s too much going on. Everyone is moving too fast. Maybe later I’ll get some time to talk to Mike and we can talk about what-ifs. Right now it’s living in the moment.”
Among the names rumored in the trade talks: Chris Cooley and LaRon Landry. Cooley remains an elite tight end. Landry is, through six games, a candidate for defensive player of the year. And now Donovan McNabb is in Washington.
Though Cutler struggled last year with 26 interceptions, he is off to a decent start this season. Cutler has thrown six touchdowns and only three interceptions, posting a 93.2 passer rating. He has been sacked 23 times, partly because the Bears love throwing downfield and partly because the offensive line isn’t good.
“It’s a combination of both,” Redskins corner Carlos Rogers said. “It’s him holding on too long and the line not picking up a lot of the stunts and blitzes. I’ve seen a lot of nickel blitzes open up, a lot of linebacker blitzes. They’ve been leaving holes open everywhere.”
That’s made it tough at times for Cutler in Chicago. But he was a hot commodity in the 2009 offseason because of his final two seasons in Denver, when he threw a combined 45 touchdowns and 32 interceptions.
“I liked the way he handled himself,” Shanahan said. “He’s a fierce competitor, staying in the pocket, took some shots. Now he’s getting used to a new system. It’s going to take some time.”
The Bears say they don’t regret the trade, though the current coaching staff and front office now are on notice to win — or else. But Cutler gave them something they felt they lacked with Orton: a franchise quarterback.
“He’s everything you look for in a franchise quarterback,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “He has size. He’s able to make all the throws. He’s mobile also, which is an added bonus. Sometimes you need to be lucky to get some of the players you want. Most guys end up where they’re supposed to be, and Jay is supposed to be a Chicago Bear.”
