Jay Cutler Rumored to Be in Contact with New York Jets, Expected to Visit

Free-agent quarterback Jay Cutler is expected to meet with the New York Jets and has been in contact with the organization.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the news, though no meeting date has been set. The Jets are one of only a few teams without a clear-cut starting quarterback heading into 2017, though Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg are on the roster.

Cutler, who turns 34 next month, was released by the Chicago Bears last week. He spent the last eight seasons in Chicago, becoming the Bears' all-time leader in passing yards (23,443) and touchdowns (154) despite being a controversial figure.

“I would like to first thank the city of Chicago and its passionate fans for a memorable eight years. I grew up in Indiana rooting for the Bears as [a] kid, so it was an honor to wear the Bears uniform and play quarterback at Soldier Field for my favorite childhood team," Cutler said in a statement upon his release, per Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Injuries and ineffective play limited Cutler to five games in 2016, matching his career low. He threw for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns against five interceptions, also fumbling six times. His QBR of 27.8 was the worst of his career by a significant margin, and he ended the season on injured reserve after undergoing shoulder surgery.

The Jets had the NFL's worst quarterback situation last season, spearheaded by a rapidly declining Ryan Fitzpatrick. A year after boasting career-best numbers, Fitzpatrick posted a 12-17 touchdown-to-interception rate and was benched on multiple occasions. Jets quarterbacks had an NFL-high 25 interceptions and posted a league-worst 67.6 quarterback rating.

Cutler, even at his career nadir, would be an instant upgrade. It just may not make sense for a team in an obvious retooling mode. The Jets moved on from wideout Brandon Marshall and have headed in the clear direction of adding more youth to their roster.

Cutler would be a band-aid solution to a much bigger problem—and perhaps not even that great of one.