Former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler arrested and charged with DUI and gun possession

Former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler, pictured watching a Chicago Bears game in 2022, was arrested and charged with DUI and gun possession. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

Former National Football League quarterback Jay Cutler was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and possession of a firearm, among other charges, after police say the car he was driving rear-ended another vehicle in Franklin, Tenn., on Thursday.

The Franklin Police Department, in a statement, said that officers responded to the accident and detected the smell of alcohol on Cutler, who also had bloodshot eyes and was slurring words.

According to police, the former QB refused a field sobriety test at the scene and was later taken to a hospital, where a blood sample was taken after authorities got a search warrant.

According to the police report, Cutler attempted to flee the scene after offering the other driver US$2,000 not to call the police.

The police investigation also found Cutler had two firearms in his vehicle, including a loaded pistol.

Cutler was charged with DUI-first offence, failure to exercise due care to avoid a collision, implied consent, possession of a handgun-under the influence, according to police.

Franklin police say the 41-year-old was booked into the Williamson County Jail. His bond was set for US$5,000 and has since been released.

CNN has attempted to reach Cutler for comment.

Cutler was a highly touted signal-caller out of Vanderbilt University in the mid-2000s. He was selected in the first round, 11th overall, in the 2006 NFL player draft by the Denver Broncos.

He played just three seasons in Denver before being traded to Chicago.

He made a name for himself with the Bears.

In his eight seasons in Chicago, he became the franchise’s all-time leading passer with 23,443 yards and 154 touchdowns.

He would play 12 seasons in the league for the Broncos, Bears and Miami Dolphins, passing for 35,133 yards and 227 touchdowns.

His last season in the NFL was 2017.

In 2020, Cutler and then wife, reality TV star Kristen Cavallari, announced they would be getting divorced after 10 years together. The two married in 2013 and have three children together: Camden Jack, Jaxon Wyatt and Saylor James.