The NFL free agency period is here, even if today is just the soft opening with the “legal tampering” period. Full-fledged free agency officially begins Thursday afternoon, with teams and players able to come to an agreement on the structure of a contract between now and then, but not able to officially announce a deal or sign a contract until that 4pm ET mark on Thursday. The soft opening does not stop crazy rumors to begin spreading, and it does not mean the gambling industry is not already taking in money on where a player may or may not land when the dust settles from the next few weeks.
One player who is listed on the boards, according to @BettingDime, is current Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. There has been a lot of speculation that the Bears are ready to move on from Cutler, which has led to more speculation about where the 11-year veteran could land in 2017.
And the Miami Dolphins appear to be among the favorites.
What?!?
According to the odds, the Houston Texans are the favorite for Cutler at 3/1, followed by him staying with the Bears at 5/1. The New York Jets are then third at 7/1, followed by the Dolphins at 10/1.
The Dolphins, who have starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill and backup Matt Moore. Somehow, they are supposed to also trade for or sign (if he is released) Cutler? Why?
Okay, maybe it makes sense if the team is worried about Tannehill’s health from his knee injury, but everything there seems to say the quarterback will be fine before training camp. Cutler does have ties to Miami head coach Adam Gase, who served as the Bears’ offensive coordinator in 2015, Cutler’s best statistical season, but it seems like a stretch to link Miami and Cutler this offseason.
Behind the Dolphins, the Cleveland Browns are 16/1 to have Cutler on their roster in Week 1, tied with the San Francisco 49ers. No NFL roster is at 15/4 in the odds, with the rest of the field at 18/1.