REPORT: CUTLER HAD ALREADY ASKED FOR A TRADE

Among the many compelling nuggets in Peter King’s MMQB column is a disclosure that Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler had asked to be traded weeks before the team tried to comply with his request. That’s right. Per King, Cutler requested to be dealt after quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates bolted for USC. So the fact that Cutler is claiming outrage in the wake of the recent near-miss effort to give him what he wanted could be part of a broader plan to get out of Denver. This way, he looks like the victim instead of the villain, and perhaps the media and the fans will put enough pressure on the team to force the front office to find a suitor.