When the 2017 NFL free agency period started, two major superstar quarterbacks found themselves as free agents looking for a job. Tony Romo knew that he could continue his career anywhere, especially with the Houston Texans, but chose to retire and become the number one color commentator for CBS Sports NFL coverage. Now, the second quarterback, Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears, as also announced he is retiring and he will join Fox Sports as a color commentator for their NFL games.
Jay Cutler and Fox Sports
While Tony Romo will immediately be the number one color commentator, replacing Phil Simms in the role, Jay Cutler does not have that advantage at Fox Sports.
Troy Aikman is already the number one color commentator for Fox and there is no way the network replaces him. As a result, Cutler will just join the team of Kevin Burkhardt and analyst Charles Davis in a three-man booth. This is the same way that Fox Sports broke in Aikman when he joined them, while CBS is throwing Romo right into the fire from Week 1. The former Chicago Bears quarterback auditioned for the job on April 27 and he made his official announcement on Friday.
Jay Cutler says this is a permanent decision
With Tony Romo, there are still questions about whether his NFL career is really over with. For one thing, Romo has not turned in his retirement paperwork to the NFL. Since the Dallas Cowboys released him, Romo can come back and play for any team he wants to if his CBS contract allows for it.
In his statement to the press, Jay Cutler said that his decision is permanent, although it is unclear if he has filled out retirement paperwork yet. The Chicago Bears released Cutler, so he is free to sign with any team much as Romo is. Fox Sports allowed Brady Quinn to leave to try out for another NFL team, so there is the precedence.
However, Cutler seems ready to retire and he will replace John Lynch in the booth after Lynch left to become the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers.
Jay Cutler's NFL career
Jay Cutler retires from the NFL with a career full of great numbers but very little in the way of success. In his college career, he broke records but never played in a single bowl.
At the start of his career, Cutler played for the Denver Broncos and never led to the the playoffs before finally demanding a trade to the Chicago Bears. Cutler quickly saw success in Chicago and made it to the playoffs but never returned and the Bears finally released him after years of an inability to win. He holds almost every record in Bears passing history but six consecutive years of missing the playoffs marked the end of his NFL career.
