April 2nd will always mean something to Chicago Bears fans; the anniversary of when the team acquired its quarterback of the future when they traded for Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos in a blockbuster deal.
The move was widely celebrated as it gave the Bears their first true franchise quarterback since Jim McMahon in the 1980s and hope that they would return to the Super Bowl with a bonafide offense.
Now, 11 years later, Cutler has since retired from the league after playing eight seasons in Chicago with mixed results. He became the Bears’ all-time leading passer in nearly every statistical category, but he struggled with turnovers at times and only led the team to the postseason once.
Cutler will forever be a lightning rod for Bears fans, but there’s no doubt he had plenty of memorable and exciting moments in Chicago. Here are my top five Jay Cutler moments as a Chicago Bear.
5) Cutler’s 42-yard TD pass to Alshon Jeffery against vs. Colts (2012)
At first glance, this may seem like an odd place to start. After all, with all the moments in his career, why choose one touchdown in the fourth quarter of a blowout victory?
This is a top-five moment for me because it’s, in my opinion, the best throw Cutler ever made as a Bear. The play counts as a 42-yard score, but in reality, the throw traveled nearly 60 yards since Cutler threw it behind the 50-yard line and into the back of the endzone. And he looked like he barely broke a sweat doing it. It’s this throw that made fans so excited to land the former Vanderbilt product.
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