Quarterback Jay Cutler isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. His personality rubs some the wrong way, his leadership has been questioned countless times, and he won’t be winning any Mister Congeniality contests anytime soon. Still, he is an accomplished veteran at the NFL’s most important position, and recent rumors stating the Bears might let him walk after this season are sure to grab attention.
It is an especially intriguing scenario for Vikings fans who are as hungry as ever for some new hope at the quarterback spot. For every rumor in the NFL a counter-rumor is sure to follow, and some are wisely betting that the Bears don’t simply let Cutler leave, but let’s pretend for a second they do. Should the Vikings be interested? Would they be?
First off, they clearly will enter the offseason in the market for a new quarterback or three. The Christian Ponder experiment is pretty clearly on it’s last legs, Matt Cassel can opt out of the second year of his deal, and Josh Freeman can’t be happy riding the bench after migrating north from Tampa midseason. None of the above have proven they can lead the Vikings in an overly impressive way and so it seems they will once again be looking for the guy that just has “it.”
Secondly, they are preparing to play the next two seasons at TCF Bank Stadium, and finding a quarterback that can have success outdoors in Minnesota could be even trickier than trying to find one that can succeed in the Metrodome… which hasn’t been the easiest task ever.
Cutler, now 30 years old, has played outdoors in every home game of his professional career. He has three seasons in Denver under his belt, and four in Chicago, and so that experience could be mighty attractive. He has not only played in the cold and wind, but he’s also been fairly successful.
Cutler has a career passer rating of 84.4 and 23,224 yards on 3,220 attempts. He’s thrown for 149 career touchdowns and has thrown 108 interceptions. Durability has been a concern lately, however, as he hasn’t played a full 16 game season since 2009.
The Vikings showed some interest in Cutler when he was on the trade block in 2009. They were reportedly involved in a three-way negotiation that would have sent Cutler to Minnesota and Matt Cassel, of all people, to Denver. The story goes, though, that head coach Brad Childress was not as sold on Cutler as the front office was and put a stop to the talks. Of course, the rest is history.
Childress is gone now, though, and much of that same front office remains intact. While intra-division trades are very rare, and Cutler would almost certainly have to become an unrestricted free agent to make this scenario possible, I am curious as to how receptive our readers would be to having Cutler be the next starting quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings. Keep in mind while voting that signing Cutler would not necessarily kill the team’s chances of drafting a young quarterback in May’s NFL Draft.
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Uh...no. 108 interceptions. Cutler has a great arm, and I like that he will throw the ball...let it fly. But those 108 picks are a big reason why his teams haven't won on a consistent basis.
Draft a dude and keep Cassel.
On the other hand, I've been watching a bit of Manziel, Carr, Bridgewater, and saw a little of Blake Bortles. None of those guys were impressive to me. I definitely say no to Bridgewater. With Carr and Manziel as the best of those 4. Probably go with Johnny Football...his competition seems tougher.
I repeat...none of this matters without a good HC.....I repeat...none of this matters without a good HC.....Brett was the only QB that could win for us with an average roster and a terrible HC.....whoever ends up directing our draft just might take a stud defender or lineman in the top five, and then best QB available in top of second.....even though we'll get blown out Sunday, it'll be defense's fault, not Cassel's, so Matt's my choice to stick around..... and this could all change when our new GM fires everyone and trades AD for players and picks.....
I wish someone could give us the scoop on Freeman.....is he a QB or a drug addict or a stud or a punk or what?
Man! Me too Krugs. WTH has happened with that dude?
no, thank you. i'd like a fresh start with a good prospect that can be our super bowl winning franchise QB for ten dynasty years or more, and a cherry on top, please
Only one thing popped into my head reading this....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk_MYgtXX18&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I would be in favor of it depending on the contract terms. If they kept the guaranteed money reasonable so they could get out of the contract after a couple years (in case the injuries continue), I would be all for bringing him in if whoever is coaching the team wants him. Our offense really could be ready to take off if we had a real QB. If we didn't have a bonafide first ballot hall of fame running back approaching 30 I might feel different, but I'm not looking forward to breaking in another rookie passer on the job. Whatever they do this off-season should still include drafting a QB, but my early feelings on this year's group is your just as likely to get your guy taking Fales in the 3rd or so round as you are taking Carr/Bridgewater/Hundley/Manziel in the 1st. One thing on Cassel, I think people are forgetting that both the team and Cassel have the ability to void the 2nd year of his contract. The way he's been jerked around there is a very good chance he would want to pack things up and move on, so keeping him may not be as simple as you would think.
Makes sense if you want to trade sideline shots of dumdfounded expressions for smug and spiteful ones.
great observation!
I'm on the Carr bandwagon!! They have to target him. Say no to Bridgewater!!
No Bridgewater or Carr. Johnny Football!! Carr is too raw, bridge is beyond overrated, and Hurdley has bust written all over him.
Manziel is Fran Tarkenton 2.0
NO!!! to Johnny football. To short 5'11" standing behind 6'7 to 6'8 o-lineman will not work in the pros. He is a headcase. NO!!! NO!!
Tell that to Drew Brees or Russell Wilson. And he's not a head case he's a nineteen year old.
we could drop from the 2nd or 3rd pick all the way to 10th with one more win.........jus sayin'
BOTTOM LINE
Is Johnny one of the best quarterbacks in this draft? The answer for me is yes. The most intriguing talent that I see in Johnny is his ability to adjust during a game to what is happening on the field. His ability to make 1st downs on third and long in the passing game is excellent. His ability to score touchdowns in the red zone is terrific as well. Johnny’s ability to make a franchise throw under pressure with accuracy is unusual and his ability to out think a defensive coordinator when he is shown a defense during a game that he hasn’t seen in film study is the football maturity most players do not possess coming out of college. He thrives on a challenge and never feels overwhelmed in any situation. Johnny reminds me a lot of Doug Flutie with a Brett Favre gunslinger attitude to his play. The team that drafts him would be smart to hire his head coach also because Johnny respects him and that will be the key to Johnny’s success at the next level….respect of his coaches. This kid will eat a weak coach up for breakfast if he doesn’t respect him because he has no patience for stupidity when it comes to coaching. He is an excellent teammate and understands how to read people and get the most out of their talents. Johnny is a natural leader because he is two steps ahead of everyone in his thinking process. You can fool this kid once but he has the street smarts, instincts, athletic talent, football intelligence and competitive spirit not to be fooled twice. Go ahead and downgrade him because of his size, I dare you, and so does Johnny.
Drew Boylhart
Dec/2013
I don't want Kevin whatever his last name is as a coach tho. He'll be terrible in the NFL. I want somebody who hasn't had 2top tier quarterbacks yet failed to win a big bowl game.