Imagine that happening today-a team in need of a quarterback trading back in the first round to find its guy. 22 and selected Florida product Rex Grossman. Desperate for a franchise passer, the Bears traded down from no. 4 pick in the 2003 draft on the heels of a 4-12 season with a rotating cast of Jim Miller, 37-year-old Chris Chandler, and future CFL legend Henry Burris at QB. Six years before trading for Cutler, Chicago held the no.

Next on the list was Jim Harbaugh, who was the Bears’ full-time starter for only four seasons. The franchise’s all-time leading passer upon Cutler’s arrival was Sid Luckman, who retired in 1950-five years before my father was born. Nearly 90 years into their existence, the Bears were arguably the most quarterback-starved team in NFL history. Smokin’ Jay may have always looked like he didn’t give a fuck, but Chicagoans gave many when we first heard he was coming to town. Cutler’s personality has made him the perfect reality-show curiosity, but the same quirks made him an enigma during his playing days. In that time, it seems as though the narrative surrounding both the deal and Cutler’s career in Chicago has been warped. It’s been 10 years since the Bears sent two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and Kyle Orton to the Broncos in exchange for Cutler. 3? The Arizona Cardinals May Have Stumbled Into a Revolutionary Idea Mock Draft 4.0: Kyler Murray and Nick Bosa Define This Class. I spent the next 12 or so hours basking in revelry, to the point that I almost missed my flight. There was no place for pessimism that day. He paused before uttering four words I’ll never forget: “I’m not so sure.” Back then, I brushed off the words. “Dad, we finally have a quarterback,” I remember saying.

I walked out of the building, fist-pumped, and then called my dad.

I can’t remember exactly what time the news broke that afternoon, but when it flashed across my screen- Bears trade for Cutler-I had to stop myself from celebrating in public. My hope was that the Bears would go get him. The NFL rumor mill had been churning, and reports suggested that Jay Cutler, the Broncos’ ultratalented 25-year-old quarterback, wanted out of Denver. All day I’d been tethered to my laptop, repeatedly refreshing the browser. I would fly to the Final Four in Detroit the next morning, but at the time I still hadn’t packed. On April 2, 2009, I was sitting in the newsroom of the Columbia Missourian on the campus of the University of Missouri.

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