Jay Cutler Expected To Retire

It sounds like Jay Cutler is retiring, again. The former Dolphins quarterback is expected to leave football, potentially to begin a reality show with his wife Kristin Cavallari, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. FOX also has interest in signing Cutler as a color commentator for NFL games, which was the position he was set to begin before signing with Miami last year. 

Cutler will turn 35 on Sunday and he has ample money after 12 years as a starting QB in the NFL. Cutler’s short-lived retirement didn’t bring about the results the Dolphins were hoping for, however, as he compiled a 6-8 record in his 14 starts and threw for just 19 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. He graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 35-ranked quarterback out of 39 qualified players, a sign that he probably didn’t have much quality football left in the tank.

In December, Cutler indicated that he was still interested in playing football, though he did not want to return as a backup QB. Even as Cutler evaluates his options in television, one can’t help but wonder if a summer injury to a QB could lead to his return. Cutler is no longer starter material, but he could be the best option an NFL team can find in an emergency situation in August.

The quarterback carousel that sent several bridge options to other teams in March did not include Cutler. While his career endured some interesting twists and only featured one Pro Bowl, the former Vanderbilt standout and 2006 first-round pick outlasted his draft-class peers and was a starter for nearly his entire career.

Cutler started two full seasons for the Broncos, beginning his first-string run as a rookie late in the 2006 season, before being involved in a high-stakes trade. The Broncos shipped him to the Bears for two first-round picks in April 2009. Cutler’s 2008 season in Denver, though, doubled as his only Pro Bowl bid. Cutler did lead the 2010 Bears to the NFC championship game before being hurt during that contest — one that doubled as Chicago’s most recent playoff game. He threw a career-high 28 touchdown passes in 2014, and his 2015 work with Adam Gase (21 TDs, 64 percent completion rate) helped secure the $10MM Dolphins gig last year.

For his career, Cutler threw 227 touchdown passes and totaled 35,133 air yards, completing 62 percent of his passes. He holds Bears franchise records for career passing yards (23,443) and TD tosses with 154.