Can Brandon Marshall please leave us alone? Answer: Not a chance

Brandon Marshall is very smart and very needy, which is why he is back in the news and why, against every instinct that tells me to stay as far away from the wide receiver as possible, I am writing about him again.

On Tuesday, Marshall said Jay Cutler could be the NFL’s most valuable player this season. It’s a crazy, look-at-me statement with almost no basis in reality or possibility, and it’s one Marshall has made before. When he was with the Bears, he made the same statement before the 2014 season. Cutler threw a league-high 18 interceptions that year.

This time, Marshall went on ESPN’s “First Take’’ to make his push for Cutler.

“I truly believe if Alshon Jeffery stays healthy, and then you have Kevin White, if this rookie can come in and catch 55-plus balls, Jay Cutler can be MVP this year,” he said. “I truly believe that.

“… He has all the tangibles. … Listen, sometimes it just takes a little longer. … Yes, even the work ethic. This guy has been taking guys out all offseason to the side, bringing them to his house, bringing them to Nashville.”

Marshall knows how to get attention, and he knows that the flawed Cutler gets massive attention for his inherent Jay-ness. It’s a powerful combination. Hence, Jay is Great, Part II.

Marshall is with the Jets now because he wore out his welcome in Chicago. He was divisive, and he seemed to care more about his stats than winning. It’s why the Bears were willing to trade someone so physically gifted.

He and Cutler were not on the best of terms when he left town. It’s possible the two have made up, which would explain Marshall’s over-the-top praise of Cutler. Or it’s possible that Marshall is holding out an olive branch to Cutler.

Or maybe the answer is the simplest one. He wants to be famous. You can’t spell Brandon without “brand.’’

When Marshall recently took to Instagram to propose a bet involving luxury cars to Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, Brown immediately got to the heart of the matter.

“He just wants some PR,’’ Brown said.