Former Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is following in Tony Romo’s footsteps and walking away from football in order to pursue a career in broadcasting.
Cutler will be added to the Fox Sports crew for the upcoming NFL season, a move made a month after Romo joined CBS. NFL insider Peter Schrager was first to report the news of Cutler’s career shift.
Cutler, 34, was released by the Bears when free agency opened in March after eight seasons in Chicago. The 2016 campaign saw Cutler start just five games as he dealt with a thumb and shoulder injuries.
The Bears decided to move on from Cutler by signing Mike Glennon to a three-year, $45-million contract ($18.5 million guaranteed) and trading up in the NFL Draft to select Mitchell Trubisky second overall.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Cutler had spoken with the New York Jets and Houston Texans, both of whom were in the market for a starting quarterback prior to the draft.
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Cutler released the following statement:
“I don’t know if retirement is the right word; I don’t feel that anyone ever really retires from the NFL. You are either forced to leave, or you lose the desire to do what’s required to keep going. I’m in between those situations at this point in my life.
“Words can’t express how grateful I am to everyone who helped me along my journey. I started playing tackle football at the age of 10 and was so lucky to have supportive parents and great coaches along the way that made my path possible. If I listed each person individually, this would quickly turn into an essay, but you know who you are and I wouldn’t be in this situation without you. So thank you.
“To my parents, my sisters, my wife and kids–thank you for putting your wants and
needs on the back burner while I played a game very Friday, Saturday or Sunday. You made it all possible.
“I recently read a quote that struck a chord with me at the time. It was attributed to Henry Rollins (but with the internet these days, you can never be too sure who really said it). ‘I did that, I gave everything I had to give to that. Now, if I returned to that it would be repetition – it might be fun repetition, but it wouldn’t be meaningful repetition.’
“Thank you to everyone along the way. You made my dream come true.”