Speculation of Brett Favre signing with the Bears was dismissed by all -- including the principles involved -- but Jay Cutler contends the retired quarterback might have agreed to an NFL return ... at the right price.
Cutler's agent is Bus Cook, who just so happens to be Favre's longtime rep. Cutler, who's sidelined indefinitely after having thumb surgery, spoke with Cook about the situation earlier in the week.
"He didn't really expect Brett to come back," Cutler told ESPN Radio on Wednesday. "Brett probably would have came back, but I'm sure it would have to be a very, very high number money-wise, and it would have been interesting."
Cutler believes Favre would have faced an uphill battle had he joined the Bears. Cutler echoed teammate Devin Hester's sentiments from earlier in the week, when the receiver/return man said trying to assimilate a QB signed off the street into Mike Martz's complicated offense would have been "pointless."
"He's a West Coast (offense) guy," Cutler said of Favre. "That's the reason he went to the places he went, Minnesota, and he was the entire time in Green Bay. So for him to jump in this system and try to orchestrate this offense would have been difficult for him."
ESPN reported Monday that Favre would listen to the Bears if they approached him. Favre issued a statement one day later saying he had no interest in coming out of retirement. Of course, by then, it already had become clear Chicago wasn't interested. Bears general manager Jerry Angelo even told the team's official website "the Favre thing is just a fantasy."
Caleb Hanie has thrown six interceptions in back-to-back Bears losses since Cutler went down with a broken thumb in Week 11. There's no guarantee Cutler will be able to return this season (he said he hopes to begin throwing in a few weeks), leading to the speculation that Favre, even at 42, was an option.
For everyone's sake -- including Favre's bruised and battered body -- things seem to have worked out for the best.
