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Broncos will try to trade Jay Cutler

The Denver Broncos said Tuesday they will grant Jay Cutler his request and try to trade the disgruntled Pro Bowl quarterback.
Jay Cutler
Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos said Tuesday they will grant Jay Cutler his request and try to trade the disgruntled Pro Bowl quarterback.

There is no shortage of teams interested in the 25-year-old rocket-armed quarterback whose unhappy off-season began with Mike Shanahan’s firing and has haunted new coach Josh McDaniels’ budding regime.

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen released a statement saying both he and McDaniels had been unable to get Cutler to call them back over the last 10 days.

Bowlen said he spoke with Cutler’s agent, Bus Cook, on Tuesday and came away convinced “that Jay no longer has any desire to play for the Denver Broncos.”

Therefore, Bowlen said, “We will begin discussions with other teams in an effort to accommodate his request to be traded.”

Cook didn’t immediately return messages left by The Associated Press, and McDaniels, through a team spokesman, declined to comment.

Cutler’s been unhappy ever since learning that McDaniels failed to inform him about trade talks in which the Broncos showed interest in Matt Cassel. Cassel wound up being traded by New England to Kansas City, and then Cutler asked to be traded.

Still, McDaniels had faith he could repair the strained relationship with his temperamental quarterback — if only he could get him to call him back. On Tuesday, he became convinced that just wasn’t going to happen.

Cutler is halfway through the six-year, $48 million contract he signed as the 11th overall pick out of Vanderbilt in the 2006 draft.

He’s 17-20 as Broncos starter, although that’s misleading because of Denver’s dismal defence.-