My Letter To Bus Cook

Jay Cutler will soon no longer be the quarterback of the Denver Broncos, now that his agent has formally asked for a trade. I wrote a message to his agent. Thought I'd share...


Dear Bus Cook,

I have loved the Denver Broncos my entire life. I have loved watching Jay as our QB the last three seasons because he was the best thing that happened to the franchise since Elway's retirement.

Given the unfolding situation with Cutler, I have just a couple of things to get off my chest. So even though this letter will only be something for one of your unpaid interns to skim over coffee, it is something that my frustration won't allow me to go without saying.


I see right through the quotes in the papers. I know this is all about money. Your money. You see an opening to negotiate a blockbuster deal for Jay and you've pounced. At every point when the situation looked like it was going to be resolved in-house, your quotes appeared in a story shortly after, stoking more controversy.

I know that you are just doing what a good agent does. Because you don't love a team. You don't feel the highs and lows on Sundays in the fall like us -- the fans. You only love your cut of what a team is willing to pay.

But I believe you have done a disservice to your client this time. Jay had a good future in Denver. Off the record, you know I'm right. But now that Brett's gone, you had to find a way to get Jay on the market. You knew that was going to be hard given the fact that no rational organization trades its star QB at the start of his prime.

But you saw that it was irrational season in Denver. It was irrational to fire a coach like Shanahan who was one win away from winning the AFC West last year. It was irrational that he was replaced by a 32-year-old whose experience amounts to folding Bill's hoodie for 4 years. It was irrational that Bowlen or McDaniels would not meet with Jay immediately before or after the regime change.

You saw the opportunity and you pounced. And at every turn, you worked Jay. You made him believe the slogan that would get you to payday: Jay is not their choice to be quarterback of that team.

"That team." That team has been a part of my family for generations. That team is what we talk about at the Thanksgiving table. That team is what gets my grandmother up early on Sunday so she can decorate her apartment with my deceased grandfather's Broncos gear before church.

That team is headed for a fall. And so is Jay, when he lands with some bottom feeder who will pay him almost enough to make him be able tolerate not achieving his potential.

I hope this deal is the biggest in history. I hope every recruit for the next 10 years comes out of school begging to sign up with Bus -- saying he really knows how to get brass to cut a check for a QB.


Because if you don't, I will spend the next 10 years asking why. Why did you Judas my favorite team and my favorite player with the same knife?