Brandon Marshall laments Jay Cutler not reaching ‘half of his potential’

“Jay Cutler should’ve won a Super Bowl … he didn’t reach half of his potential,” former Broncos WR Brandon Marshall said.

During a recent interview with “Hot Ones” host Sean Evans, former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall lamented retired quarterback Jay Cutler not living up to his potential.

“The worst quarterback that I played with, and listen, just understand that there was so much potential … was Jay Cutler,” Marshall said. “Jay Cutler should’ve won a Super Bowl. Jay Cutler had everything that it took to be one of the most legendary quarterbacks. And so, I would say Jay Cutler because he didn’t reach half of his potential.”

Mike Shanahan drafted Cutler in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft out of Vanderbilt. Cutler spent his first three seasons under Shanahan and had a career year in 2008, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl.

The Broncos then fired Shanahan and replaced him with Josh McDaniels, who promptly attempted to trade for his former backup quarterback with the New England Patriots, Matt Cassel. Cutler was understandably upset by that and asked for a trade.

McDaniels eventually granted Cutler’s request, trading the QB to the Chicago Bears ahead of the 2009 season. Marshall later reunited in Chicago in 2012. They played six combined seasons together, three in Denver (2006-2008) and three in Chicago (2012-2014).

Cutler spent 12 years in the NFL and he never matched his career-best season under Shanahan after the 2008 campaign.

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What Jay Cutler believes Bears should do with Justin Fields

Former Bears QB Jay Cutler believes they should stick with Justin Fields.

There’s been plenty of discourse in regards to the Chicago Bears’ looming decision at quarterback — build around Justin Fields or draft Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick.

Analysts and fans alike are divided, while players (both Bears and non-Bears and both current and former players) seem to overwhelmingly be on Fields’ side. Jay Cutler — Chicago’s last great quarterback — has added his name to the list.

Cutler doesn’t know what general manager Ryan Poles will wind up doing (Poles might not even know yet), but he would opt to trade the top pick and add more pieces around Fields and continue to build this team.

“What I think they should do is trade down, get some more guys on that team to help out Justin, and see what happens,” Cutler said on the CW’s Inside the NFL last week. “Because let’s plug in Caleb Williams on that team. What happens?”

There’s no doubt Williams is a top talent — and he could very well be a generational quarterback — but the Bears are more than a quarterback away from being a contender. Sure, they have an ascending defense, but there are still holes that need to be addressed on both sides of the ball — and the assets gained from trading the first overall pick would certainly help with that.

Chicago landed an absolute haul in trading the top selection to the Carolina Panthers last year, which has turned into wide receiver DJ Moore, right tackle Darnell Wright and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, who have all been top contributors for the team. Not to mention, the Bears also landed the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft and still have a 2025 second-rounder on the way.

With top prospects Williams and Drake Maye declaring for the draft, NFL experts believe Chicago can get an even bigger haul for this No. 1 pick, which they can use to continue to build this team into a contender. Then again, if they pass on Williams and he winds up being another Patrick Mahomes, it could cost Poles his job and set the franchise back for another decade.

With that said, the Bears’ track record with developing quarterbacks isn’t great — just look at Fields, who was dealt a tough hand from the get-go being drafted by Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy and what’s transpired ever since.

Cutler warned what could happen if Chicago opts to start over at quarterback instead of continuing to build around Fields.

“I think if you blow it up and you start all over again with the No. 1 pick,” Cutler said, “you might sitting in a worse position than you’re in right now.”

No pressure, Poles.

5 things to know ahead of Bears vs. Broncos in Week 4

The Bears and Broncos will be competing to get their first win of the season. Here are five things to know in Week 4.

The Chicago Bears completed a three-week gauntlet of games barely alive at 0-3, but the team finally has a decent chance of getting a win in a Week 4 game against the Denver Broncos.

Only the Denver and Chicago faithful will be turned into what definitively is the worst game of the early slate, while most of the NFL will be enjoying the play of good teams, like Miami and Buffalo.

Alas, it’s our fate to be eternally linked to such a dysfunctional football team, so we’ll give you everything you need to know about the game. To kick off our weekly breakdown, here are some key things to know ahead of Sunday’s Bears-Broncos matchup.

Dan Orlovsky: DJ Moore will add another dimension to Justin Fields’ game

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky explained how the arrival of DJ Moore will help Justin Fields.

It’s been a long time since Chicago Bears fans had such high hopes for their team’s quarterback.

There have been quarterbacks who’ve come to the city with moderately lofty expectations, like Jay Cutler or Mitchell Trubisky, but the fanbase never fooled themselves into thinking Chicago could potentially have an All-Pro type of passer. At least, not until Justin Fields put on the uniform.

The fanbase is not the only entity that has a fervor for the Bears’ QB1, as the national sports media has been smitten with Fields and the leaps he may take as a dual threat passer this season. Even as recent as a couple of days ago, ESPN host Mike Greenberg planted his flag firmly in Fields’ camp, claiming that Fields will be the “next superstar quarterback in the NFL.”

ESPN analyst and former quarterback Dan Orlovsky continued the media’s rally behind Fields, making the case for why Chicago’s acquisition of wide receiver DJ Moore will add another dimension to Fields’ game this upcoming season.

Orlovsky’s NFL experience clearly shaped the three points he discussed in the segment, because his reasonings for how Moore will benefit Fields are all predictive; not about any particular statistic related to Fields or Moore, but rather how just the mere of presence of the former Panthers receiver will add much-needed complexity to the offense.

The fanbase is already brimming with excitement for the Fields and Moore show to take their explosive connection to Soldier Field on Sundays. And the media’s assurance that Moore will be a major factor for Fields to take off next season only makes the wait until week one against the Packers all the more difficult.

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NFL analyst believes Bears RB Khalil Herbert in line for ‘big year’

Could Bears RB Khalil Herbert be in for a breakout year? One NFL analyst believes so.

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What do you think when someone says, “Chicago Bears?” It’s a multi-faceted question that can have many answers, all of them holding truth. One person might attach an identity to the team, saying “hard-nosed football.” The Bears lead the NFL with a whopping 30 players inducted in the NFL Hall of Fame; another fan might acknowledge one of them as the personification of the team, like the legendary Walter Payton.

For many, however, the Bears are known for having a long history of positional excellence that has withstood the test of time. Linebackers, defensive lineman, cornerbacks, running backs — excellence has graced these positions over the team’s 104-year history and many of those players are considered Bears legends.

The tradition is still alive and well in the modern age, as several recent players have brought elite skill to their respective positions. All-Pro Roquan Smith was the center piece of some truly terrifying Chicago defenses as the team’s middle linebacker, and the powerful duo of Akiem Hicks and Khalil Mack were whirlwinds of freak power and athleticism that opposing lineman couldn’t weather. As for running backs… it’s a bit of a different story.

While former Bear David Montgomery was an above-average running back whose ability to break tackles couldn’t be denied, Chicago has not had a truly great running back since 2015 — since Matt Forte was catching bullet passes from quarterback Jay Cutler. If history is truly meant to repeat itself, then where is Chicago’s next great running back? Well, one reputable football analyst claims that he’s already on the roster: Khalil Herbert.

Herbert has become a bit of a social media darling in Bears circles the last week or so. Fans are claiming that Chicago’s apparent commitment to an “running back by committee” approach on the ground can pave the way for Herbert to stand out among his teammates. Analyst Clay Harbor, however, believes an advanced metric from last season could indicate a “BIG year for Herbert.”

In the graph Harbor posted, Herbert ranks above other prominent running backs in a statistic called Average Rush Yards over Expected, with the Bears running back comfortably above one yard. For those who may not be aware, formulas are utilized to estimate what a ball carrier should average on any given play, based on a number of factors.

In this case, the formula Harbor posted is from the website Football Insights. So, the graph effectively demonstrates that Herbert gained one more yard per running play than the formula would have predicted Herbert to gain.

That number may seem inconsequential, but football is a game of inches. That one yard more Herbert gains on average could be the difference between getting stuffed at the goal line or scoring a touchdown.

Herbert’s breakout year could be imminent, if Harbor and the rest of the Bears’ faithful is to be believed. Which means Herbert may be taking his first steps into becoming Chicago’s next great running back.

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Remember the day DeAngelo Hall owned Jay Cutler and the Bears?

A look back at the day Hall picked off Cutler four times and some NFL history on four-interception games.

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Do you recall DeAngelo Hall’s biggest day as a Washington cornerback?

The NFL Twitter account posted this memory Monday. It was October 24, 2010. Washington was playing the Bears at Soldier Field for a 1:04 pm kickoff.

The former Virginia Tech cornerback tied an NFL single-game record that day, intercepting Bears quarterback Jay Cutler four times! Even more, Hall’s interceptions all came in the second half, and Washington needed every one of them, holding on to win 17-14.

1. 3Q 9:06  Chicago 14-10, 1st &10 at WASH 47.  Hall intercepts Cutler at the WASH 37, returning to the WASH 39.

2. 3Q 1:52  Chicago 14-10, 3rd & 7 at WASH 13. Hall intercepts Cutler at the WASH 8, returning 92 yards for a touchdown.

3. 4Q 10:10 Washington 17-14. 2nd & 10 at CHI 7. Hall intercepts Cutler at the CHI 13.

4. 4Q 2:24  Washington 17-14, 1st & 10 at CHI 47. Hall intercepts Cutler at the WASH 13.

Remarkably, the feat of four interceptions by one player in an NFL regular season game has been accomplished 20 times.

The last time it had been duplicated prior to Hall’s day in Chicago was when Denver’s Deltha O’Neal intercepted Kansas City’s Trent Green four times on Oct. 7, 2001.

Two other Washington players have intercepted four passes in a single game.  Dan Sandifer against the Boston Yanks on Oct. 31, 1948, and Sammy Baugh intercepted four Detroit Lions passes on Nov. 14, 1943.

Unfortunately, the feat has also been accomplished twice against Washington quarterbacks. Jerry Norton of the St Louis Cardinals had four interceptions on Nov. 20, 1960, as Washington quarterbacks Ralph Guglielmi and M.C. Reynolds threw five interceptions that day.

Also, Pittsburgh’s Jack Butler had four interceptions on Dec. 13, 1953, when Eddie LeBaron and Jack Scarbath threw six interceptions.

Of special note: Norton is the only NFL player to have intercepted four passes in a single game twice. He also accomplished this against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 26, 1961.

NFL expert compares Will Levis to former Bears quarterback

Daniel Jeremiah gave his quarterback comparisons on The 33rd Team podcast. He compared Will Levis to one former Bears QB.

The 2023 NFL draft is finally here, and all eyes will be on how the quarterback board falls in the first round.

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah shared his quarterback comparisons for the draft’s top prospects on The 33rd Team podcast with Joey Mulinaro. He compared Anthony Richardson to Cam Newton, Bryce Young to Drew Brees, and Will Levis to former Bears signal caller Jay Cutler.

Cutler played four seasons at Vanderbilt before being the 11th pick in the 2006 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. After three seasons in Denver, he was traded to the Chicago Bears, where he would spend the majority of his NFL career.

Levis started his college career at Penn State but transferred to Kentucky after two years. He completed 65.7% of his passes with 43 passing touchdowns, 23 interceptions, and 5,232 passing yards at Kentucky.

Levis has the potential to be everything fans hoped Cutler could have been, and then some. Not only is he a successful passer, but he brings the athleticism that Cutler lacked.

When the season ended, Young was the consensus No. 1 overall pick. Now, Levis has entered that conversation with rumors of the Panthers showing an increased interest in him.

Levis will be an NFL quarterback by the end of night one, with the draft starting at 7 p.m. CT. You can watch the draft on NFL Network, ESPN, and ABC.

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Aaron Rodgers reveals his favorite Bears-Packers game of all time

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers reveals his favorite game he’s played against the Bears and fans may not want to relive the experience.

Asking Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers what his favorite game has been against the Chicago Bears is like asking a child to pick their favorite candy bar to choose from. Sadly, there have been far too many standout moments for the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback in the NFL’s oldest rivalry.

Rodgers has a career record of 22-5 against the Bears in the regular season, with another victory coming in the postseason during the 2010 NFC Championship game. It’s been a one-sided affair for the last decade plus and you would think narrowing down his favorite moments would be tough, but Rodgers does in fact have a favorite game and Bears fans won’t like his answer.

Rodgers recently was a guest on the “Pardon My Take” podcast with notable Bears fan Dan “Big Cat” Katz and revealed his favorite game from the Bears-Packers rivalry is their 2013 regular-season finale to decide the division. The game was a back-and-forth slugfest before the Packers rallied back, thanks to a late touchdown pass from Rodgers to Randall Cobb to steal the win 33-28 and win the NFC North away from the Bears during Marc Trestman’s first year as head coach. Even nearly 10 years later, Rodgers still has a photographic memory of the game and he detailed why it was his favorite:

I came back from my collarbone, Randall [Cobb] came back from his knee injury and then, somehow, it was for the division. After so many things happened for us to be in it…it came down to our game. Neither team, I don’t think was great that year, but we were playing for a home playoff game.

“I start off, I throw a pick to Chris Conte on a rollout and I’m like ‘[expletive], is it really going to go like this tonight?’ Then I threw another pick to [Tim] Jennings in the second or third quarter. Then we had that weird, fluky, Pep [Julius Peppers] caused a fumble and [Miles] Boykin picks it up and nobody’s doing anything and he runs into the endzone.

Then on the last drive, we converted three fourth downs, fourth and inches on a dive play, a fourth and three to Jordy [Nelson] but that last one was pretty amazing.”

While Rodgers reveled in one of his prouder moments, in speaking to Katz, he did provide context surrounding the infamous blown coverage by Conte that allowed Cobb to score easily that gave the Packers the lead.

“You have to put it all together, people throw blame on Chris on that side, I think [Zachary] Bowman was outside as well on that play. But you guys brought seven and we blocked with six. There should have been a free guy so it really was the rush pattern that got you…I guarantee you on the defense, they were expecting the ball to come out quick. That’s why they were playing at 10 yards.

What they should have done was change the call. I knew what the check call was.”

Rodgers also admitted he was trying to throw quick but had to improvise when pressured by Peppers, leading to the touchdown. To this day, Conte still gets the business from Bears fans but Rodgers isn’t alone in his assessment. Former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler defended the coverage as well in an interview last fall, saying Conte wasn’t the reason for the breakdown.

That season finale is over 10 years old and you won’t find a current Bears player who was even on the team for that moment. But if you ask a handful of Bears fans what their worst loss was they experienced, that game is bound to be near the top of the list. It’s only fitting Rodgers has it as his favorite.

Jay Cutler doesn’t want to see the Bears move out of Soldier Field

The former Bears quarterback isn’t a fan of the team potentially moving out of Chicago and into the suburbs.

The days of the Chicago Bears calling Soldier Field home aren’t over yet, but they’re likely dwindling as news continues to leak out that they’re inching closer to finalizing a deal to move to suburban Arlington Heights. 

While most fans appear to be in favor of the change in location, one prominent former Bears player doesn’t want to see the team move away from the lakefront.

Former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler joined ESPN 1000’s Waddle and Silvy on Thursday afternoon and in between promoting his participation in the American Cornhole League tournament in Bedford Park, he reminisced about his time in a Bears uniform at Soldier Field and made it clear he doesn’t want them to move. “I don’t know if they’re going to move out, if they’re actually going to do that, but I hate that they’re going to be leaving the city at some point. It sucks.” Cutler said. “In the city, Soldier Field, you’re on the lake. I remember driving into the city and thinking ‘alright this is cool…’ It was just a cool atmosphere of being in the city of Chicago, in the winter playing there. It just had an atmosphere and a vibe to it.”

Cutler did admit the situation between the Bears and the stadium isn’t ideal considering they don’t own Soldier Field, it’s one of the smallest stadiums in the league, and they’re not able to make many renovations, but he still doesn’t want the the team to move into the suburbs. “They shouldn’t leave the city of Chicago,” He said emphatically.

The Bears’ all-time leading passer might appreciate his old home, but he didn’t exactly have a stellar career on the lakefront. He went 28-26 during his tenure with the Bears at Soldier Field, including the postseason from 2009-2016. But like many fans, he enjoys the tradition of football on the lakefront, including the notion of “Bear Weather” and playing in the elements. “It’s homefield! Leave it open.” Cutler said when asked about a new stadium potentially having a retractable roof in the winter.

Cutler may not get his wish as the Bears continue to do work on the Arlington International Racecourse land they purchased last fall, but they aren’t expected to make a final decision until 2023 at the earliest.

How one radio interview planted the seeds for the Brandon Marshall trade 10 years ago

The Bears traded for WR Brandon Marshall 10 years ago. See how one radio interview might’ve played a part in the blockbuster move.

Former NFL wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad once said that Chicago is “where receivers go to die.” Muhammad said this on his way out of town after playing with the Chicago Bears for three seasons in the mid 2000s.

For a while, it seemed he was right as the Bears failed to have any receiver post a 1,000-yard or Pro-Bowl season since 2002. But that changed 10 years ago when the Bears made a daring move to trade for arguably the most talented receiver they’ve ever had in Brandon Marshall.

Marshall was acquired from the Miami Dolphins for a pair of third-round draft picks. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2006 and quickly became one of the best young pass catchers in the league. He was dealt to Miami where he spent two seasons before being traded to the Bears.

It was the first significant move from former general manager Phil Emery, who in his first year, sought to fix a glaring need on the offense and reunite Marshall with his former quarterback Jay Cutler.

Though Marshall was only a Bear for three seasons from 2012-2014 and seemingly had issues with multiple players in the locker room during his time in Chicago, he was unstoppable on the field. Marshall caught 279 passes for 3,524 yards and 31 touchdowns in three seasons, while earning two Pro Bowl nominations as well as making first-team All-Pro in 2012. It was a trade that immediately improved the Bears’ passing attack and offense as a whole.

While the marriage was short lived, many applauded Emery for his execution of the trade and his willingness to improve the offense. But as one Chicago sports radio producer reveals, this trade probably wouldn’t have happened if a chance interview didn’t take place just weeks before the deal.

Randy Merkin, an executive producer for WMVP ESPN 1000 recently authored a book titled Behind the Glass: Stories from a Sports Radio Producer. The book details many of his bookings as a radio producer with dozens of athletes and iconic figures, from George Steinbrenner and Charles Barkley, to Dabo Swinney and Peyton Manning.

One of his guests that he details in the book is Marshall. Merkin recalls contacting Marshall at the Pro Bowl hotel in Honolulu, HI, prior to the game taking place in February of 2012 to see if he would come on the radio station for a few minutes.

A few weeks prior, Marshall was tweeting with Cutler during the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints playoff game, reminiscing about their old playing days with the Denver Broncos.

“These young duos are the old us,” Marshall tweeted at Cutler while watching players like a young Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson.

“Please. We can run circles around these guys,” Cutler responded.

The game was a shootout and the tweets had Bears fans salivating over the possibilities of Cutler and Marshall together again.

Merkin took note of the exchange and saw it as the perfect opportunity to get him on Chicago radio to ask him about how he felt about possibly reuniting with Cutler. Merkin details how the interview went down with the Waddle and Silvy show:

I put Brandon on with Silvy [Marc Silverman] and JD [Jeff Dickerson], who was filling in for [Tom] Waddle that day. The guys did a great job and Brandon Marshall is an outstanding interview. The guys had a great conversation when Silvy asked him about his tweets with Jay Cutler. Silvy said ‘Brandon, why don’t you get the band back together!’ He seemed intrigued!

Just over a month later, we get breaking news. Brandon Marshall was now a Chicago Bear!! Holy cow! We figured we were going to the Super Bowl. Over the next couple of years, we started The Jay Cutler Show, It was a huge success and always had a giant crowd. One week, Brandon was filling for Jay. During the show, he told Waddle and Silvy that our interview with him at the Pro Bowl was the impetus for his asking to be traded to the Bears. He wasn’t kidding! It was a very cool moment for us.

Reading that Marshall landing with the Bears all started with a radio interview was surprising to say the least. We caught up with Merkin, who elaborated on the story and detailed how everything went into motion following the interview.

“Brandon started filling in for the Jay Cutler Show and it kind of became the Brandon Show after Jay split,” Merkin told Bears Wire. “One time, Marshall randomly said, ‘you know, when I came on with you guys at the Pro Bowl, I was a Dolphin. You guys were the reason that I reached out to Jay and said, we got to get this done. I have to come back. I have to come to Chicago and play with you.’

“And that started the whole wheels in motion. Jay went to the Bears brass and said let’s get this done. Let’s get Brandon here. So yeah, I think we played a small part. You know, they still have to make the trade of course, but it helped.”

There’s a significant chance that if Merkin doesn’t make the call to the Pro Bowl hotel back in early 2012, or if Marshall never answered the phone, that trade would have never taken place. Of course, both teams could have had interest regardless, but it seems like that one interview sparked both players to push for a deal. The result was one of the most dominating stretches by a Bears offensive player in team history, even if it was brief.

Perhaps the next football interview that Merkin books has major ramifications for the Bears, too. The executive producer continues to work at ESPN 1000 during the middays, still working his magic to bring the best guests to the radio.

Behind the Glass: Stories from a Sports Radio Producer is available for purchase online.