Jay Cutler – Rookie quarterback career with the Denver Broncos in his first NFL season in 2006
Jay Cutler was selected by the Denver Broncos in the 2006 NFL Draft with the 11th overall pick in April 2006. Three months later, the right-handed quarterback from Vanderbilt University out of Santa Claus, Indiana, signed a six-year contract with the Broncos. worth $48 million. The relationship between the Denver Broncos and particularly head coach Mike Shanahan was successful for the young quarterback as he flourished under coach Shanahan.
After moving out of the third-string quarterback position during training camp in 2006 (passing quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt to become the backup), Cutler officially became the Broncos’ starter at the end of his season. rookie season. On November 27, 2006, head football coach Mike Shanahan, who had coached John Elway to back-to-back Super Bowl wins, announced that Cutler would replace veteran quarterback Jake Plummer in the starting lineup.
The late-season shakeup of replacing a proven quarterback in Jake Plummer with a rookie was the end result of pressure from the fan base to see some sort of productive step be taken to get the team into the playoffs. . The 2006 season was a roller coaster for Broncos fans who saw their fair share of ups and downs. After beginning the season with seven wins in nine games with Plummer as the starting quarterback, the team fell back in straight games, at which point turning to rookie Jay Cutler in hopes of salvaging the season.
Fortunately, for Cutler, his first starting role came in a home game in the friendly confines of Invesco Field at Mile High, where the Broncos play all of their home games at about 5,280 feet (one mile) above ground level. sea. Unfortunately for Cutler, cold December weather in Colorado did not provide favorable passing conditions for his December 3 debut as an NFL starting quarterback and the Broncos fell to the Seattle Seahawks by a narrow 23-20 margin. .
Jay Cutler earned his first victory as an NFL quarterback two weeks later, on December 17, 2006, when an offensive explosion catapulted the Denver Broncos past the Arizona Cardinals by a final score of 37-20. Jay followed up Arizona’s victory with a win on Christmas Eve against the Cincinnati Bengals in a 24-23 victory.
Unfortunately for fans of Cutler and the Broncos, an upset overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers on New Year’s Eve gave the AFC West rival Kansas City Chiefs the final playoff spot ahead of the Denver Broncos. Despite a 7-2 start to the 2006 season, the Broncos failed to make the playoffs. Cutler never led the Broncos to the playoffs during his three years in Denver, but he did reach Pro Bowl status in 2008 before being traded to the Chicago Bears.
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