Jay Cutler: His Trade Evaluated One Year Later
Published by Jeff Given on February 11, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Sun-Times printed an article today, Feb. 11, titled, “Picking Jay Cutler Apart.” In that article, the author, Sean Jensen, makes the following statement about the trade which brought Cutler to the Windy City:
“So far, the Broncos appear to have fleeced the Bears.” As Jules Winfield said in “Pulp Fiction”, “Well, allow me to retort!”
I believe no evidence supports the claim that the Broncos fleeced the Bears, and I doubt any Broncos fan would disagree.
Let’s review the trade. The Broncos received the following: Bears 2009 No. 1 pick (No. 18 overall), Bears 2010 No. 1 pick (No. 10 or No. 11 overall, depending on a coin flip with Jacksonville), Bears 2009 third-round pick, and Kyle Orton.
The Bears received Jay Cutler and a fifth-round pick.
With that fifth-round pick, the Bears drafted Johnny Knox, a promising rookie receiver with blazing speed that made a number of plays in the passing game (45 catches, 527 yards, 5 TDs) and was a Pro-Bowl alternate as a kick returner (29.0 average, 1 TD).
And the Broncos?
The Broncos drafted Robert Ayers with the Bears’ 2009 No. 1 pick. The Broncos then traded their No. 1 in 2010 (which ended up being No. 14 overall) to Seattle for Alphonso Smith, a cornerback. The Broncos packaged the third-round pick to move up and draft Richard Quinn, a tight end.
Now, you can say the trade is not complete since the Bears 2010 No. 1 pick has not yet been utilized by Denver. I would argue the Broncos don’t trade for Smith without the Bears No. 1 pick in their pocket, making Smith the last piece of the puzzle. In addition, the difference between the 10th/11th-overall pick and the 14th is minimal. I would submit the Broncos have their haul from this trade, and that evaluation can begin in full.
So what did this Broncos prize package do in 2009?
Ayers: 19 tackles, no sacks, no forced turnovers.
Smith: 14 tackles, no interceptions, three passes defensed.
Quinn: No catches.
Orton: A serviceable year, with 21 TDs and 12 INTs. However, Cutler was traded supposedly because he wasn’t a winner and Orton was. Bronco fans cited the 2008 late-season collapse, where Denver lost its last three games to fall to 8-8 and fall out of the playoffs. In 2009, with Orton at the helm, the Broncos lost their last four games to fall to 8-8 and fall out of the playoffs.
Quite a change.
To be sure, Cutler was horrible at times, throwing a league-leading 26 interceptions. The Bears went 7-9. However, one must remember that Cutler was throwing to one of the most inexperienced groups of wide receivers in the league, if not in league history. The starters at season’s end were Devin Aromashodu, Earl Bennett, and Devin Hester; only Hester had any catches in the NFL prior to 2009 and is a converted cornerback/kick returner.
Also to be sure, all players involved have a lot of maturation ahead of them. Perhaps Ayers and Smith will start making more plays on the defensive side. Perhaps Orton will find the formula to stop late-season collapses in Denver. Perhaps Cutler will never stop throwing poor interceptions.
All of that is possible. However, since the players Denver drafted with their acquired picks did not put up one meaningful stat in 2009, and Orton did not solve the problem that led to all the vitriol in Denver regarding Cutler, I do not believe the Broncos “fleeced” the Bears in this trade. I believe Bronco fans would agree.
Fans are optimistic in Chicago about Cutler’s future, particularly with Mike Martz calling the plays. Whether the fans in Denver believe they won this trade is for them to state. In any event, I disagree with the Sun-Times. I believe the Bears won this trade and see no evidence to the contrary.
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