Jets Could Inquire About Cutler, Broncos Possibly Heart Sanchez

Jay Cutler's dreams are finally coming true: the Broncos have agreed to trade him. Of course, if he weren't so sensitive -- or if new head coach Josh McDaniels had better controlled the flow of information -- it never would've come to this.

Cutler would enter voluntary workouts as Denver's Pro Bowl quarterback, McDaniels would have the centerpiece for his high-powered offense, and the organization could focus on the important stuff, like fixing the defense. Instead, it looks like Chris Simms (at least for now) is the de facto starter, and moving Cutler becomes the team's top priority, even with the draft just three weeks off.

The list of possible destinations is a long one, but the Jets appear to be somewhere near the top. That was the case two weeks ago and that's still the case today.

The Daily News reported on March 23 the Jets had already called the Broncos to let them know they wanted Cutler, 25, if Denver elected to trade him. A source with knowledge of the Jets' thinking said last week the Jets are very interested. A Jets spokesman said Tuesday night that the team would have no comment on Bowlen's announcement. But GM Mike Tannenbaum, who placed that recent call to the Broncos, is expected to be calling the Broncos again to make an offer.

This news should make Kerry Rhodes very happy.

As for what it'll take to get Cutler, a high-profile NFL agent "... could see a first-(rounder) and a second this year, and a first next year ... If you're looking at some unknown kid in the draft, you'd much rather have Cutler. You're talking about a quarterback who's athletic and talented. The only question on this kid is maturity, but he's going to grow from this."

And, truthfully, that is the only question. Cutler's played at a high level for three NFL seasons, and despite the perception that he's a selfish baby, any maturity issues he may have had in Denver never bubbled over into some drama-filled, Terrell Owens-inspired after-school special. Not until he learned the team was trying to trade for Matt Cassel, anyway.

Cutler's relatively high productivity-to-paranoia ratio aside*, will another team be willing to part with two first-rounders and a second-rounder? It sounds like a lot, but unlike giving up those picks to be in position to draft a franchise quarterback, whichever team ends up with Cutler will know what they're getting. And maybe that's worth the cost.

As for what the Broncos will do about their soon-to-be vacated quarterback position, the National Football Post's Mike Lombardi posits that this has nothing to do with Cutler refusing to return McDaniels' text messages (Tom Landry is surely spinning uncontrollably in his grave), but something much more innocent: "The Broncos seeing a new player they've fallen in love with..."

This is just an educated guess on my part, but something usually happens to change a team's position, and it normally happens when you find a solution to the problem. The Broncos have their eyes on someone, and I'm guessing it's [Mark] Sanchez since he has all the qualities McDaniels values in a quarterback. The talk will be about Cutler, but my focus will be on who will play quarterback for the Broncos.

And if not Sanchez, there's always Brady Quinn.

Also on FanHouse:
Is Cutler Drama Bad for Lions?
Bears Show Interest in Cutler
Cutler Saga Reaches Inevitable Conclusion

* An example of a low productivity-to-paranoia ratio would be Terrell Owens, who's both wildly productive and insanely paranoid. John Daly, last productive in 1995, is now just paranoid.