Ex-Bears QB Jay Cutler: Jets were interested, but ‘stars didn’t align’

Jay Cutler might still be in football had the timing been better.

The former Bears quarterback told ESPN’s Adam Schefter in a podcast this week that the Jets reached out to him shortly after he’d been cut by the Bears in March, but the “stars didn’t really align” because he wasn’t in a rush to join a new team. Cutler told “Know Them From Adam” that he “balked” at first, but admitted he was unsure if the Jets were interested in offering him a contract.

He said he was happy for Josh McCown, his former Bears teammate, who the Jets signed in March.

The market for Cutler never really developed. Because of his lack of backup experience — he’s never come off to the bench in a game — his suitors were limited to the few teams that had an open starting quarterback job. Once they added McCown, the Jets — who feature former Bears running back Matt Forte — weren’t interested in Cutler.

Cutler eventually retired and took a job as a color analyst for Fox.