Former Broncos QB Sentenced To Jail Time After Tennessee Arrest

The fate of a former Denver Broncos first round pick and starting quarterback was determined on August 26 as Jay Cutler was sentenced to 4 days in jail over an October 2024 arrest in Franklin, Tennessee on DUI and weapons charges.

“A Williamson County judge accepted a guilty plea from 42-year-old Jay Cutler and his attorneys on Tuesday morning,” Nashville WSMV4 TV’s Tony Garcia wrote. “Cutler was arrested on October 17, 2024, after he rear-ended a blue GMC with his white Dodge Ram truck on Bridge Street … The Franklin police officers found a rifle and a loaded Glock pistol in the center console of his truck.”

Cutler was charged with DUI, possession of a gun while intoxicated, failure to exercise due care and implied consent. He was also accused of offering the other driver $2,000 to not call the police and let him leave the scene of the accident.

As part of his plea, Cutler’s Tennessee driver’s license was revoked, he will pay a $350 fine and begin serving his sentence on September 29 at the Williamson County Jail. After he’s released, Cutler will be required to attend a DUI safety class and serve one year of unsupervised probation.

Cutler has been a longtime Tennessee resident and played college football in Nashville, where was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year at Vanderbilt in 2005 but went 11-35 in 4 years as a starter, including a 5-27 record in SEC play.

The Broncos selected Cutler in the first round (No. 11 overall) of the 2006 NFL draft.

Divisive Time in Denver Before Trade

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) — arguably 2 of the biggest QB busts in the last 20 years.

After throwing for a career-high 4,526 yards and making the Pro Bowl in 2008, 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 to replace him.

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, with the Broncos using the first round picks on quarterback Tim Tebow (2009) and wide receiver Demariyus Thomas (2010).

Cutler went 17-20 as a starter in three seasons with the Broncos and 76-79 as an NFL starter over 12 seasons, which included a final season with the Miami Dolphins in 2017.

Career Defined By Huge Contract, Playoff Choke

Cutler also made the playoffs just once, in 2010, where the Bears lost 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 in 2006, 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.