Cutler Makes it Official, Wants Out of Denver

Since details of the Denver Broncos' interest in trading for quarterback Matt Cassel became public knowledge, incumbent starter Jay Cutler hasn't been a happy camper. And strained relations between he and management since that time led to his announcement Sunday night that he has asked to be traded. He also skipped a team meeting Monday.

Cutler cited mistrust of new head coach Josh McDaniels as fuel for the current fire, and it appears the two sides very well may be headed for a divorce despite the fact that the young QB has three years remaining on his contract. Of course, the Broncos could simply squat on Cutler and force him to play out his contract. But who wants to go into a season with a quarterback who really doesn't want to play on their team? There's a good chance that once he gets out on the field with his teammates, his competitive juices will drive him. But it's also possible that hard feelings between he and McDaniels, if not resolved, could lead to problems down the road. So it might actually be in the Broncos' best interest to move him and move forward without him.

So where might Cutler eventually land should the Broncos decide to deal him?

Well, if they hope to get a capable starting quarterback in return, their options are very limited unless a third team with a potential starter on the bench gets involved. The first team that comes to mind to fill that role is the Cleveland Browns, who have Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. Of course, the Browns could be interested in Cutler for themselves, but if not, they could help swing a deal for two other clubs that could also benefit the Browns in the long run.

With that in mind, the list of potential landing points for Cutler becomes significantly longer. He would be an immediate improvement over Kyle Orton for the Chicago Bears. And with Chicago's dubious history at quarterback, general manager Jerry Angelo should be exploring every option he has to finally find that franchise-type guy. But the Bears aren't known for taking such bold chances and it's simply too obvious of a place for Cutler to go for it to happen.

The Detroit Lions obviously could benefit significantly as well if they were to land Cutler and then use their top overall draft pick on a franchise left tackle in a guy like Eugene Monroe out of Virginia or Jason Smith of Baylor. Cutler to Calvin Johnson could certainly become a potent connection over the coming years.

While we're in the NFC North, I might as well mention that the Minnesota Vikings could certainly use an upgrade at quarterback as well. And they should be an attractive destination for Cutler considering the Vikings play more than half their games indoors and they are built to win now... except at the quarterback position. With Cutler at QB the Vikings would easily be the favorite to win the NFC North and they would look to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Other teams that might or should be interested in acquiring Cutler include the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I wouldn't rule out the Tennessee Titans or Carolina Panthers either.

Photo: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images