To hear Adam Shefter tell it, the Broncos were approached by the Lions and Bucs about some kind of swap, involving Matt Cassel from the Pats (before Cassel was traded). And just because the team was approached, that doesn't mean they were seriously considering the offers - at least that's the team's version when trying to assuage an irritated Cutler. But considering Cutler's a 25-year-old Pro Bowler with arguably the best arm in the league, why would those teams even approach the Broncos unless Denver had given some indication that Cutler was on the block? Put differently, I seriously doubt teams are approaching the Vikings with packages for Adrian Peterson or the Cardinals for Larry Fitzgerald.

Does the new GM/coach regime of Brian Xanders/Josh McDaniels think the interception-prone Cutler is overrated? Would they actually prefer non-prospect Matt Cassel who came out of nowhere to have 10 big games down the stretch? Cassel must have been more impressive up close than I realized because the Pats were willing to franchise him ($14.65 million this year) even though Tom Brady was likely to be healthy, the Chiefs (run by former Pats VP of player personnel Scott Pioli) gave up an early 2 for him (though ESPN reports they could have gotten the No. 12 overall pick from Tampa if they wanted to send Cassel to Denver), and if the rumors are true, former Pats offensive coordinator McDaniels preferred him to Cutler.

It initially shocked me to read that the new regime in Denver was even considering moving Cutler, when they have so many passing game weapons (Cutler, Brandon Marshall. Eddie Royal. Tony Scheffler) in place who are growing together. But maybe the guys who worked with Brady and later Cassel don't think Cutler has the right makeup for the job.