Bears reporter would be ‘surprised’ if Jay Cutler did not retire

Jay Cutler has generated hardly any interest on the free agent market, and it is starting to look like he has taken his last snap in the NFL. In fact, one reporter who covers Cutler’s former team expects that to be the case.

Jeff Dickerson, who works the Chicago Bears beat for ESPN, wrote on Monday that he would be “surprised” if Cutler doesn’t retire. Dickerson cites many reasons, the most notable of which are Cutler’s age (he’ll turn 34 later this month), recent injury history and career earnings, as the quarterback has made over $100 million playing football and has a wife who is a successful television personality.

The New York Jets were one of the only teams that was linked to Cutler, but even they went in a different direction when they signed 37-year-old Josh McCown to a one-year deal. The Houston Texans were also said to have some interest, but they would rather give Tom Savage a chance to win the starting job and possibly address the QB position in the NFL Draft.

It probably doesn’t help Cutler that one of his former teammates recently questioned his leadership ability, but comments like that are nothing new. The reality is Cutler is an average QB who has played at an above-average level in spurts during his career. No team is going to look at him and think he is a solution to a problem, and that is typically bad news when you’re injury prone and on the wrong side of 30.

So long, Smokin’ Jay?