Former Broncos Pro Bowl QB Arrested on DUI, Gun Charges in Tennessee

One of the more divisive players in Denver Broncos franchise history is in some pretty serious legal trouble.

TMZ Sports reported that former Denver quarterback Jay Cutler was arrested on Thursday, October 18, in Franklin, Tennessee, on several charges following a car accident.

From TMZ Sports: “(Cutler) was arrested for DUI and 3 other offenses Thursday evening in the city of Franklin, TN. The other crimes were failure to exercise due care, violation of implied consent law, and possession of a handgun while under the influence.”

According to the Franklin Police Department, Cutler was booked into the Williamson County Jail, where he posed for a mug shot and posted a $5,000 bond before he was released.

Cutler, 41, is a longtime Tennessee resident with deep roots in the state, where he was an All-SEC quarterback for Vanderbilt.

Cutler One of Most Divisive NFL QBs of 2000s

After Cutler starred at Vanderbilt and was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2005, the Broncos selected him with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft despite going 11-35 over his career, including a 5-27 mark in SEC play.

Denver actually traded up with the St. Louis Rams to draft Cutler, who was one of 3 quarterbacks taken in the first round behind No. 3 Vince Young (Tennessee Titans) and No. 10 Matt Leinart (Arizona Cardinals).

After throwing for a career-high 4,526 yards in 2008 and making the Pro Bowl, Cutler requested a trade after he found out new head coach Josh McDaniels had attempted to trade for New England Patriots backup quarterback Matt Cassel.

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Cutler and a fifth-round pick were eventually traded to the Chicago Bears in exchage for quarterback Kyle Orton, two first-round picks and a third-round pick.

Cutler went 17-20 as a starter in three seasons with the Broncos and became more known for his apathetic approach to football and polarizing attitude than anything else — the same issues he would have throughout his career.

In 12 NFL seasons, Cutler only had three winning seasons and went 76-79 as a starter.

He also made the playoffs just once, in 2010, losing to the Green Bay Packers 21-14 in the NFC Championship Game. The loss to the Packers would come to somewhat define Cutler’s career after he went 6-of-13 passing for 80 yards and one interception before leaving the game early in the third quarter with a sprained MCL — a decision Cutler was widely criticized for.

Cutler was also one of the highest-paid players in the NFL during his career. After he signed a 6-year, $48 million rookie contract with the Broncos, he received a 5-year, $50.37 million contract extension in 2009 then signed a 7-year, $126.7 million contract extension with the Bears in 2014.

Cutler finished his career with $122.1 million in career earnings. He also became an interesting pop culture footnote due to his marriage to former reality TV star and current podcast host Kristin Cavallari in 2010.

The couple, who had 3 children together, divorced in 2022.

Broncos Winning Games With Rookie Quarterback

Fast forward almost 20 years from when Cutler was drafted and you’ll find a Broncos franchise being led by a brash rookie quarterback who was also a first-round pick in Bo Nix, who led the team to a 33-10 win over the New Orleans Saints in Thursday Night Football on October 17 to improve the Broncos to 4-3.

The Broncos selected Nix at No. 12 overall in the 2024 NFL draft.