Former Bears Star Devin Hester Sums Up Jay Cutler

The Chicago Bears haven't had a true franchise quarterback in recent memory. It is telling that the closest may have been Jay Cutler, even though his tenure was far from a popular one with the franchise.

The Bears traded a pair of first-round picks, a third rounder, and starting quarterback Kyle Orton to the Denver Broncos for Jay Cutler and a fifth-rounder ahead of the 2009 season. He was coming off of a career year, throwing for 4,526 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions for the Broncos in 2008.

At the time, the Bears were just a few years removed from a Super Bowl appearance with Rex Grossman at the helm. The team had a superb defense and special teams, led by Devin Hester, one of the most dynamic return specialists in football history.

In a new interview with Bleacher Report's Master Tesfatsion, Hester had a very honest take on the Jay Cutler era in Chicago. "I played 11 years. He's the best quarterback when it comes to accuracy, power, knowledge of the game. The best quarterback, hands down, that I played with," Hester said. "Now when it comes to leadership? The worst."

"He's not really a sociable guy. He's not really a talker," Hester said of his former teammate. "He picks one or two guys, and just leaches on them, and separates himself from everybody."

Cutler has carved out something of a cult following, both from his appearances on ex-wife Kristin Cavallari's reality show Very Cavallari, and in his own very muted, farm-based social media presence. Based on what we know of him off the field, Hester's description isn't too surprising.

Cutler finished with a 51-51 record in eight seasons with the Chicago Bears. He retired after the 2016 season, but came out of that young retirement to quarterback the Miami Dolphins for a year in 2017. Now, it looks like he's officially done with the NFL as a player.