Jay Cutler Interested in Joining the Media?

The early surge of NFL free agency came and went. So has the Draft. Jay Cutler, like Colin Kaepernick and RG3, has not generated much interest in the market for his services. While his agent said the quarterback was not considering retirement just last week, Cutler has to be really pondering if going somewhere for backup money is worth it for him given the amount of money he’s already made.

And this brings us to the latest report. NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo writes that Cutler “is exploring a post-football career in broadcasting, according to multiple television sources and people with knowledge of Cutler’s thinking.”

“Cutler and his representatives have spoken with network executives about football-related TV roles and sources said Cutler has auditioned with at least one network in recent weeks,” the report continues. “It’s unclear how far along Cutler is in the process and whether he’s negotiating a contract, but his audition indicates he’s serious about broadcasting.”

Thinking about it offhand, this is an interesting situation. Though Cutler has long given off the impression of general indifference, when he wants to be he can be quite charming. There are no readily available football media jobs that would be a slam dunk for him that come to mind. All of the network pre-game would seem to be set. CBS had a spot vacated by Tony Gonzalez, but filled it with Phil Simms.

There may be an open job or two on Showtime’s Inside the NFL. Fox still has not announced its replacement for John Lynch, who was the color commentator on the no. 2 NFL team alongside Kevin Burkhardt before taking the 49ers GM job. ESPN had major talent cuts last week, but they always seem to be in the market to bring in new NFL names.

For now, it is way too early to speculate where Cutler would land in media, if anywhere. But, the possibilities are fun to think about.