Jay Cutler is a Looming Broadcasting Option After Recently Meeting With Networks
By Bobby Burack
Lost in the layered NFL media free agent rumor mill lies Jay Cutler, former Pro Bowl quarterback and current husband to reality television star Kristin Cavallari. Cutler recently met with both ESPN and CBS about a potential future in broadcasting, The Big Lead has learned from multiple sources with knowledge of the news.
This isn't Cutler's first foray into a potential broadcasting career. In 2017, FOX signed Cutler to serve in its No. 2 NFL broadcast team with Kevin Burkhardt and Charles Davis. Of course, that never happened because Cutler returned to the NFL -- to the Dolphins -- a month before the season began.
Since then, Cutler's name has essentially only come up in the reality television world. Albeit the headlines have come quite often, and entertainingly, from his wife's show, Very Cavallari.
Between Super Bowl week and the offseason, it's common practice for networks to meet with former players interested in becoming analysts. As was the case in 2017, media sources are bullish on Cutler, often referring to his distinctive mind, personality, and reactions as reasons he would be a good fit.
If a network believes in Cutler, there could be several fits. If it's not in the booth, the former Vanderbilt Commodore could be brought in for studio work. Networks are consistently in the market for former quarterbacks with name recognition, some with far less interesting personalities than Cutler.
Much like with the players, the media side of the NFL projects to be busy this offseason. Recently-retired linebacker Luke Kuechly also took meetings with several networks, according to sources.
Aside from former-player news, ESPN is exploring the idea of tweaking NFL Live. While the talks are in the early stages, sources say the network would like to give the show more juice moving forward.
But as everyone who has read a sports media report in the past 12 months is aware of, the pivotal dominion this offseason is Tony Romo. ESPN will go all-out to lure the superstar broadcaster, but CBS remains, at the moment, the favorite to re-sign him.