There will never be another Jay Cutler. Depending on where you stand, this is either a blessing or a curse.
Cutler spent 12 years in the NFL, graduating from vaunted prospect to indifferent actor over that stretch. He was a hopeful franchise savior for both the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears, each of whom devoted prime assets to acquire him. He was, at his most Cutler-y, a last-ditch effort for a Miami Dolphins team in need of someone with the gravity to hold their offensive solar system together.
Despite the hype that followed him from Vanderbilt across multiple NFL stops, his rocket arm threw for more than 4,000 yards only once and never topped 30 touchdowns in a season. He had half as many Pro Bowl invitations as Vince Young or Vinny Testaverde. In 2015, his most efficient season, he failed to crack the top 15 in passer rating.
Few players have ever matched the polarizing takes Cutler induced. He was a gifted scrambler with incredible arm talent who could make a play few other quarterbacks could match, then convince you he’d forgotten whether he was right or left-handed one snap later. Behind it all was a blank expression that allowed fans to paint whatever frustration and criticism they wanted with believable validity.
His 2018 retirement (and subsequent, uh, somewhat concerning run off-the-field in the years since) has left a void in the NFL. While there will never be another Smokin’ Jay Cutler, there are several impostors capable of serving as a reasonable stunt double for our large, sour-faced star.
Who was it last year? Well, let’s apply some filters and see if we can’t figure it out.