Cutler formally requests trade

Jay Cutler seems to get closer to publicly being on the trading with each subsequent media report. Now he has officially asked for a trade.

Denver Broncos QB Jay Cutler has formally requested to be traded and did not show up to the first day of meetings on Monday for the start of the Broncos' offseason conditioning program. Cutler met face-to-face with Broncos coach Josh McDaniels for the first time Saturday, and apparently didn't feel the meeting went as well as he was expecting.

"The Denver Broncos confirm that Jay Cutler has requested a trade," team spokesman Jim Saccomano told The Associated Press on Monday.

Cutler's issues with McDaniels first arose with rumors last month that the Broncos' new coach was interested in trading Cutler to Tampa Bay if the Bucs had been able to acquire McDaniels protoge Matt Cassel from New England. The Vikings and Lions have also been mentioned as potential trading partners with interest in Cutler.

McDaniels told The Denver Post that he wants to talk to Cutler again before any trade talks.

"I would like to talk to Jay before we go on and start to discuss some other type of alternative," McDaniels said. "In the last couple weeks, we've been all about trying to communicate and resolve his unhappiness with what happened - which we understand - and that's been our direction."