ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Jay Cutler says he wants to break up. The Denver Broncos say they want to make up.
The Pro Bowl quarterback was a no-show on Monday for coach Josh McDaniels’ first team meeting and the start of the Broncos’ offseason workouts, and if he gets his way, he’ll never step foot in the team’s training facility again.
“The Denver Broncos confirm that Jay Cutler has requested a trade,” team spokesman Jim Saccomano told The Associated Press on Monday.
McDaniels declined interview requests after telling The Denver Post that he wanted to meet again with Cutler to try to resolve their differences before he considers a trade.
McDaniels briefly addressed his broiling quarterback controversy when he gathered his team as a group for the first time Monday morning.
“He just addressed it and said, ‘I’ll take care of it,’ ” recounted defensive lineman Kenny Peterson.
Cutler is upset that the Broncos tried to trade him for New England quarterback Matt Cassel last month and what he considers McDaniels’ misleading answers to his inquiries about those discussions.
So, he asked for a trade through his agent, Bus Cook, who engineered Brett Favre’s departure from Green Bay last summer.
The Broncos declined interview requests Monday for McDaniels, general manager Brian Xanders and owner Pat Bowlen. Cook didn’t return calls to The AP.
The sides met face-to-face for the first time Saturday and Cutler came away convinced McDaniels wanted someone else under center while the Broncos were incredulous that the gathering didn’t result in a resolution to the nasty spat. They told Cutler they expected him to attend Monday’s meeting and workout even though it’s voluntary.
Peppers to Patriots?
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Carolina Panthers denied a report Monday that they discussed trading four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers to the New England Patriots.
The reason: The Panthers aren’t allowed to have trade talks involving Peppers until he signs his one-year tender worth $16.7 million, or until his agent brokers a deal with another team and comes to Carolina for approval.
NFL.com, citing unidentified sources, reported the Panthers and Patriots were close to a deal that would send Peppers to the Patriots for New England’s second-round pick, 34th overall, that was acquired from Kansas City in the Matt Cassel trade.
Packers to keep Bush
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers matched an offer sheet from the Tennessee Titans on restricted free agent cornerback Jarrett Bush.
Bush has been with the Packers for three seasons, mostly in a backup role. He played in 16 games last season and finished second on the team with 17 special teams tackles.