Cutler for Cambell!

Jay Cutler a Redskin?
Jason La Canfora-

Jay Cutler is the flavor of the day/week/month, so my inbox is now stuffed with inquiries about him. (Covering the Redskins is the football equivalent of covering the Yankees or Red Wings, with every player examined and debated for a possible roster spot on a daily basis.)

So now it's Cutler, eh? Well, my take on this is that the dude wants to get paid, period, whether it's in Denver or Winnipeg. And given the state of panic that Broncos owner Pal Bowlen appears to be in over this whole saga, and the fact he rivals Daniel Snyder when it comes to spending, I don't see this kid leaving town. Just my hunch for now. If/when he gets that Ben Roethlisberger contract, he's suddenly going to be drenched in orange and talking about his dream of being the next Elway and spending his career in Denver.

And the bottom line is that the Broncos don't have to do anything if they don't want to. The kid has three years left on his rookie contract, and if he wants to hold out, so be it. Somehow I don't see it getting to that point.

As for the Redskins, well, they've certainly made no long-term commitment to Jason Campbell; forget about getting him a new contract. And Vinny Cerrato won't even call him the quarterback of the future. So would I rule out the Redskins sniffing around on a Pro Bowl QB? Heck, I never rule anything out.

But finding a way to stuff in a $15-million-a-year quarterback and the inevitable $45 million or more in guarantees when you didn't have the cap room to squeeze in Ray Willis would be something. And, again, it's not like the Skins have any more significant restructuring candidates sitting around the locker room or high-salaried veterans they can just jettison.

It would take a bounty to meet Denver's asking price, were this whole drama to reach that stage. We're talking multiple first-round picks in all likelihood. And if Denver Coach Josh McDaniels is telling the truth about not wanting picks for Cutler in any hypothetical, and instead wanting players, that pretty much takes the Skins out of the running.

There are far too few true potential franchise QBs in the league, let alone young ones, to let them get away. You don't see guys who have put up Cutler's numbers being traded very often, and had he gone, it would have only been for another young QB whom McDaniels obviously believes is a budding superstar (Matt Cassel).

A lot of Redskins fans are suggesting the team simply package Jason Campbell for Cutler, but that seems farfetched. McDaniels made it pretty clear Cassel was his guy, and I think he clearly wants someone he can mold. JC has already been through a career's worth of system and coordinator changes. That's not exactly a blank slate.