On Tuesday, Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler reached the all-too-familiar point in the rom-com when the audience collectively rolls its eyes as the two star-crossed lovers, predictably, re-embark upon a once-doomed relationship. Thanks to Marshall, the best bromance in football is making a comeback.
During Marshall's appearance on ESPN's First Take, he didn't just prop up his current quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, by handing him the #elite label. He also mended some old wounds by praising his ex-quarterback and ex-BFF, Jay Cutler. In a callback to 2014 -- the peak of Cutler and Marshall's bromance -- Marshall declared on live TV that Cutler can win MVP this season.
Truly.
"I'll got out on a limb and say this again," Marshall started as Max Kellerman urged him to stop talking. "I truly believe if Alshon Jeffery stays healthy, and then you have Kevin White, if this rookie can come in and catch 55-plus balls, Jay Cutler can be MVP this year. I truly believe that."
After Stephen A. Smith frantically gesticulated, Marshall explained his reasoning.
"Listen, let me tell you why: He has all the tangibles. ... Listen, sometimes it just takes a little longer. ... Yes, even the work ethic," Marshall said. "This guy has been taking guys out all offseason to the side, bringing them to his house, bringing them to Nashville."
Marshall wasn't allowed to finish, as the First Take crew predictably reacted with chaos -- predictably, because there isn't a person on the planet besides Marshall that truly believes Cutler can win MVP.
"Hey listen, I'm telling you, go to Vegas right now," Marshall finished.
Keep in mind, before the 2014 season, Marshall told NFL Network the exact same thing. That season ended up being Marshall's last in Chicago. And Cutler only barely survived as Marc Trestman, who actually benched him for Jimmy Clausen, tried his darnedest to scapegoat Cutler for the 5-11 season.
So, clearly, Marshall's prediction didn't work out the first time around. It probably won't work out this year, too.
Look, I'm a noted Jay Cutler apologist -- he's a good, not great quarterback -- and even I think Marshall is selling the impossible. For Cutler to win MVP, he'll need to substantially improve upon a career-year without Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett, and he'll need the 6-10 Bears to overcome the Packers and the Vikings to earn a playoff berth. The Bears are much improved after general manager Ryan Pace revamped the defense this offseason, but that's probably asking too much of a young, rebuilding team.
I do, however, want to highlight something Marshall said in his explanation.
"Listen, sometimes it just takes a little longer."
That part, I believe, is spot on. In fact, it's pretty much exactly what I wrote before the draft when I argued the Bears shouldn't select a quarterback to develop behind Cutler:
The problem with Cutler has never been his physical skill-set, which bodes well for his future as he ages. Instead, the mental side of the equation has been problematic, which is why, to this point, Cutler's outlasted every coach and coordinator who's ever set foot in Chicago. At some point, the thinking goes, it'll all come together for Cutler. Maybe one day in the not so distant future, he'll eliminate those multi-pick meltdowns.
Oh wait, it already happened.
In 2015, despite playing without Alshon Jeffery for large chunks of the season, despite throwing to targets like Marquess Wilson, Josh Bellamy, and Zach Miller, despite operating behind a line comprised of a guard playing right tackle for the first time in his career, a new seventh-round left tackle, and a rookie center, Cutler still posted a career high 92.3 passer rating. By Football Outsiders' metrics, he finished as the 10th best quarterback in 2015 -- one spot ahead of Cam Newton. More importantly, a year after he tossed multiple interceptions in seven games, Cutler didn't throw more than one interception in a single game until the final week of the season.
The point being, Cutler, 33, probably hasn't peaked yet. Considering how he played last year and how he might have a healthy Jeffery and White this year, as Marshall noted, it's not at all a stretch to believe Cutler could experience a career-best season. Erase Marshall's brazen MVP prediction and everything else he said is completely true.
According to everyone in the Bears' organization, Cutler does work hard. His teammates certainly appear to love him. He hosted players -- like White -- at his house. He invited the offense to his offseason home in Nashville for throwing sessions. And yes, sometimes it does take quarterbacks a long time to master the nuances of the position.
That doesn't mean Cutler will win MVP, but the Bears don't need Cutler to perform like an MVP to turn into a playoff-caliber team. They just need him to become a more consistent quarterback, which he already did last season.
With all that being said, I don't want to lose sight of the most important takeaway from Marshall's First Take appearance. Marshall -- the same player who hasn't spoken to Cutler in more than two years, the same player who didn't include Cutler on his list of his favorite teammates, and the same player who snubbed Cutler on his best quarterbacks he's played with list -- took the first step to mending a broken relationship, which Cutler once summed up as, "No one really likes their ex-girlfriend just after a breakup."
Hopefully, the best bromance in football -- it was the best -- is back on, truly.
