The Cutler Did It

Well, I used to tell Aaron Rodgers – while he was backing up Brett Favre in Green Bay -- that he was the second-best quarterback in the NFC North.  Now things have changed in a division that has not been terribly strong at the quarterback position.  Rodgers and Jay Cutler should have some interesting battles the next few years, starting opening weekend in 2009.

Maybe I’ve missed an episode or two of this whole Cutler miniseries -- conveniently scheduled to fill the lull between free agency and the NFL Draft -- but I don't get it.  A player's name is brought up in trade conversations and then we have a war of words, followed by a blockbuster trade?

Cutler was unhappy that, as the quarterback and future of the Denver franchise, his name was discussed -- whether by or to the Broncos -- in the flurry of trade conversations that happen immediately before and at the start of the trading period on Feb. 27.  In that week every year, probably 200 names are bandied about in trade conversations around the league.  Cutler’s new coach had a comfort level with Matt Cassel and inquired about bringing him in. 

Then came anger and hurt from Cutler.  Hey, this happens as well, but it's March and there's a ton of time for things to smooth over in the long offseason.

What happened next seems to be encompassed in a famous line from the Paul Newman movie “Cool Hand Luke”:  “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”  Text messages and missed phone calls seemed to replace real conversation, and hurt feelings that could have been mended became more wounded, hardening each side’s position.  Then came a point of no return: The owner of the team announced that the player would be traded, apparently reducing any leverage the team had to maximize value.

Or not. The Broncos were able to extract two No. 1 draft picks plus a third-rounder plus a decent quarterback option from the Bears.  Bidding and multiple suitors – there were several here -- create leverage, and the Broncos had plenty of it.  Young, experienced and talented quarterbacks with three years left on a reasonable contract are the rarest of scarcities in the football economy, and the number of those who actually come onto the trade market is miniscule (although there have been two in the past month in Cutler and Matt Cassel).  No one trades multiple No. 1 draft picks for anyone in this day and age, or so we thought.

For the Broncos, who have been in an acquisition mode this offseason, this was about more than Cutler.  True, he is (was) their franchise quarterback, but this is really about all of the Bronco players.  The locker room was watching how this transpired and how it was handled by the new administration.  Each player of consequence will closely observe the precedent that’s being set and note it.

Lots of players are unhappy every offseason about something.  Some players (Chad Ochocinco) make it an annual rite of spring.  How the team handles it makes a statement to the player and the entire team about its resolve and fortitude.  We will now see how the Redskins handle any discord with Jason Campell, the quarterback they were trying to replace (so far, Campbell appears to be taking a professional approach).   The locker room will be watching.

As a former boss of mine, Ron Wolf, once said, “I don't care about chemistry in March and April; I care about it in December.”   The Broncos were apparently willing to trade their most important player to avoid chemistry issues five months before a meaningful game is played.  To their credit, however, they received excellent value in return.

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