We can add Clay Matthews' name to the list of folks who are going to miss Jay Cutler in Chicago. Cutler retired this offseason to begin his broadcasting career, which means Matthews will need to find another stationary target to destroy when the Packers and Bears face off.
"Listen, I always enjoyed playing against Jay," Matthews said recently during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show. "Obviously, he rubbed some fans the wrong way. I know people get on him about his nonchalant attitude, but I always enjoyed playing against him. I'm glad I got a lot of sacks against him. I'll miss that the most. But hopefully the next in line in Chicago will be as equally willing to help me pad my stats."
For the record: Matthews has 72.5 career sacks and 8.5 came courtesy of taking down Cutler over the years -- including a 3.5-sack performance in Sept. 2012 and two more when the teams met again in December.
With Cutler now safely situated in the broadcast booth, Matthews will now turn his attention to Mike Glennon, the veteran signed this offseason, and rookie first-rounder Mitch Trubisky, who will likely see the field at some point in 2017. And if everything goes off the rails, Matthews will have the pleasure of lining up up against third-string quarterback Mark Sanchez.
Cutler, 33, played in just five games last season because of injury, but in 2015, he ranked ninth in value per play among all quarterbacks, according to Football Outsiders, which was better than Matthew Stafford and league MVP Cam Newton. But that was the anomaly for Cutler, who regularly put up replacement-level numbers during his Chicago career. Still, Bears great Dan Hampton recently made the case that the organization would have four Lombardi Trophies if Cutler had been under center for those dominant mid-1980s Bears teams.
That sounds ... ambitious. Back on Earth, the Bears will face the Packers in Green Bay on Sept. 28, and see them again in Chicago on Nov. 12.
