Jay Cutler

Jay Christopher Cutler is an American former professional football quarterback who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Born on April 29, 1983, Cutler spent most of his professional career with the Chicago Bears, becoming the franchise leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, pass attempts, and completions. Over his NFL career, he also played for the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins, earning a Pro Bowl selection in 2008 and recognition among the 100 greatest Bears of all time in 2019.

Cutler grew up in Santa Claus, Indiana, as a Chicago Bears fan and attended Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, Indiana. He started three years at quarterback, leading his team to a 26–1 record across his junior and senior seasons. In his senior year, he directed the team to a perfect 15–0 record and its first 3A state championship while also starting at safety. An All-State selection in football, Cutler additionally earned all-state honors in basketball and honorable mention all-state accolades in baseball.

Cutler attended Vanderbilt University, where he redshirted in 2001 before starting 45 career games, the most by a quarterback in school history. He set Vanderbilt career records for total offense, passing yards, touchdown passes, completions, pass attempts, and combined touchdowns. As a freshman in 2002, he was a first-team freshman All-SEC selection by the Associated Press. In 2004, he set a school record by completing 61.0 percent of his pass attempts.

In his senior season in 2005, Cutler was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year after completing 273 passes for 3,073 yards and 21 touchdowns. A finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and a three-year team captain, he led Vanderbilt to notable victories over Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Arkansas. Cutler graduated in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in human and organizational development and was inducted into the Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.

Selected 11th overall by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft, Cutler was promoted to starter late in his rookie season. He became the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to throw at least two touchdown passes in each of his first four games, finishing five starts with 1,001 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and a franchise rookie record passer rating of 88.5. In 2007, he started all 16 games, passing for 3,497 yards and 20 touchdowns.

After earning Pro Bowl honors with Denver in 2008, Cutler was traded to the Chicago Bears in 2009. He spent eight seasons with Chicago, leading the franchise to a division title and an NFC Championship Game appearance in 2010. Cutler concluded his 12-year NFL career by playing his final season with the Miami Dolphins.