What Really Happened With The Jay Cutler Trade

First, last post on this website.

All of the conclusions are very close to factual,and they are reached, from what a person who works in the NFL, and what they figured that happened, from inside league conversation.

1. NFL Coaches gather in February. Tampa Bay, because of the Glazers, first approach the Denver HC with the Cassel scenario.

2. Day before free agency. Denver decides to open the negotiation on the trade and asks Tampa Bay to move forward with trying to get Cassel.

3. Tampa Bay are looking for a prolonged negotiated trade with New England, where they start by offering their 18th pick in the 2nd Round.

4. New England, very quickly, needs free cap space from the Cassel franchise tag, so they can sign free agents. So, they finish the best deal they have on the table at that current time with the Chiefs, considering Tampa Bay's mid-2nd round pick offer(even though they were willing to offer their first), to be their best.

5. News of the Broncos' Cassel overture is leaked by Cassel's agents.

6. Jay Cutler is only somewhat upset, but gets furious when Denver HC and GM deny it.

7. Cutler, is upset, and goes to a conference call, hoping to hear from the HC "We are committed to you as our QB of the Future". The Denver HC does not commit, but rather says "Anybody can be traded at any time" further aggravating Cutler, understandably.

8. Cutler is still studying the playbook and keeping in touch with the new QB coach, who is more of an assistant QB coach, because the QB coach responsibilites are handled by the Denver HC.

9. Cutler has a face to face meeting with the Denver HC and GM. Cutler goes into the meeting hoping bygones to be bygones, but still hoping to hear "We are committed to you as our QB of the Future". The Denver HC, showing his inexperience in handling players, again says "You can be traded at any time, because that's our prerogative". It is not the objective, at this time, of the Denver HC to trade Cutler, but this is a standard NFL line to demonstrate authority of position.

10. Cutler is absolutely furious and asks the Denver HC for time to mull over the meeting. The Denver HC asks Cutler to call them on his cellphone. Cutler immediately tells his agent, "They couldnt trade me right now, but they will at the end of the season. Let's ask for a trade". Cutler believes this will get to the HC, so he doesnt have to call on his cellphone. Bus Cook calls the GM instead and requests a trade. The GM replies "That's not going to happen". The Denver HC is furious Cutler did not call him on his cell phone like he said.

11. While the Denver GM, continues to make overtures for the next 10 days. The Denver HC is still fuming from the cell phone misunderstanding and does not personally make an overture, leaving it to teammates, personnel and the GM. This signals to Cutler, that the HC is going to trade him in the future and furthers his commitment to get traded. 

12. Cutler is at his alma mater, working in its gym facilities and preparing for the season, not with Denver. He tells his agent, that all his calls from Denver will not be picked up (because he does not pick up calls, for the past 2 years since being Denver's QB has earned him some celebrity) and redirected to the agent so he can pick and choose who he can talk to.

13. The Denver Owner decides to join in the overture and asks the Denver GM to arrange a call with Cutler, URGENTLY. 

14. Early the next day, the Denver GM calls the agent and relays that "Pat wants to talk to Jay, Now". The agent replies, "All I can do is, leave a message and tell him to call you"

15. Late in the day, Cutler, still hasnt checked his messages. The Denver GM calls and asks "where's Jay", the agent replies that, he hasnt called back yet.

16. This is interpreted by the Denver Owner as a deliberate slight to him.

17. Denver releases a statement, publicly intending to trade Cutler. Cutler, when he reaches his messages, thinks about calling the Denver Owner, but decides against it, since it has facilitated the trade that he wanted.

18. 12 teams in the league were very interested in Cutler. 6 were willing to give the required 2 first round picks. They were Washington, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Chicago, Jets and Carolina. Kyle Orton was the key piece for the Denver HC

19. Cutler, the Chicago GM and the PR personnel, decide that Cutler should not rehash the telephone misunderstanding with the Denver Owner, since it would only warrant a reply and start a he said, she said that would be the talk of the media. They come up with the talking point "They would do some things differently and I would do some things differently" that Cutler is to repeat when this question is raised.

20. Cutler is traded to Chicago. He reaches Chicago and has lunch with the Chicago HC, GM, the Owners, the VP of pro personnel and a PR personnel. After the Chicago HC and Cutler, have personal conversations starting a respectful relationship.

The conclusion that should be reached by Denver fans is that this has been a GIANT misunderstanding, that perpetually kept growing. Nobody is really at fault when the details are looked at. The Denver HC did not realize at 7. and 9. that Cutler just wanted a commitment to him. Cutler did not realize that they never wanted to trade him after the Cassel overture. The Denver Owner did not wait more than 7 hours for a return phonecall, which Cutler would have made.

The result was this trade. Again, nobody is really at fault. It was very bad luck.

League insiders have already tipped, the Denver HC, to be one of the best coaches in the league for a long time to come. And they have also done that with the Bears QB.

I will not be replying to comments. I might write the version of events that led to Mike Shanahan's firing and the events that led to an impasse with Brandon Marshall in the next two days.