Now-retired safety Antrel Rolle played with two of the NFL's most notoriously withdrawn quarterbacks in Eli Manning and Jay Cutler. But when asked about Cutler's shortcomings, Rolle noted one difference between the two.
"He was a little bit more laid back. He wasn't a front-row leader," Rolle said on Good Morning Football on Thursday. "Neither was Eli Manning, but Eli has a way about himself to lead every guy. I just felt like, honestly, if Jay involved himself more with the team, more with his receivers, I think he'd get more better results on the playing field.
"Like I said I just honestly feel like he would get much better results if he involved himself more in the team collectively, with all individuals. It doesn't have to be offense, defense, special teams, but just everyone as a collective unit, I think he would get more out of his game for himself."
Needless to say, Rolle isn't stunned that Cutler is still on the market right now.
"I'm not surprised," he said. "I think at this point and time in his career, I think he's looking for something that's suitable for his skill set. I think he needs multiple weapons and more importantly, he just needs a new start."
While bringing up Cutler's penchant for reclusiveness is not new or surprising, it must be the prevailing theory as to why the quarterback has not joined an NFL team at this point. There are a handful of NFL teams eyeing up far worse quarterbacks for their opening day starting lineups. His lack of interest or inability to fully commit have boxed Cutler out for the foreseeable future. Because injuries happen, it would not be surprising to see Cutler in the league again -- but only under emergency circumstances.
