In what seems like a sign of growing maturity, newly-minted Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is resisting the urge to have his name plastered all over the Windy City.
Cutler’s motivation to avoid becoming a one-man billboard?
He wants to win a few games, establish himself in the locker room, and then sift through some prospective business deals, according to Bob Legere of the Arlington Daily Herald.
“With all the excitement that’s happened so far, there have been a lot of endorsement opportunities,” Cutler said. “But I’ve kind of steered clear of those because I haven’t even stepped on the field yet. I’m trying to take care of that before I step into that realm . . .
“I want to go out and play some games and prove myself first. I want to get rid of some of the skepticism surrounding me and just go out there and play.”
That seem like a reasonable stance to take.
Especially since Cutler drew so much bad publicity following his messy divorce from the Denver Broncos, as he was labeled a brat and worse.
Not to mention his 17-20 record as a starter.
Chasing every dollar might not be Cutler’s best move right now, so he’s holding off on pursuing outside income at this point.
“Any NFL quarterback has a whole bunch of endorsement opportunities if he wants them,” SportsBusiness Journal editor Terry Lefton said. “It all depends on the athlete’s willingness to do them.”
Per the report, Cutler is planning ahead for future off-field deals.
And he isn’t holding back when it comes to representation, hiring entertainment lawyer Jeff Jacobs. Jacobs is an ex-president for Oprah Winfrey’s entertainment company.
And virtually everything Oprah touches turns to gold.