Jay Cutler will serve jail time after pleading guilty in his Tennessee DUI case. The former Chicago Bears quarterback accepted a plea deal on Tuesday, ending a legal saga that began with his October 2024 crash in Franklin.
Cutler pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor DUI. Prosecutors dismissed a weapons charge after he forfeited the firearm found in his truck. The judge sentenced the 42-year-old to four days in jail. He must begin serving by the end of next month.
The court fined him $350 and placed him on supervised probation for one year. He must also complete a DUI safety class. His Tennessee driver’s license is now revoked for a year.
Police arrested Cutler last fall after his truck rear-ended another vehicle. Officers said he smelled of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes, and slurred his words. They alleged he refused to take field sobriety tests, so a judge approved a warrant for a blood sample at a local hospital.
Authorities found a rifle and a loaded pistol inside his vehicle. Prosecutors later dropped those charges as part of the plea.
Reports from the crash added troubling detail. According to court documents, Cutler allegedly tried to flee the scene and even offered the other driver $2,000 not to call police.
The Franklin Police Department confirmed what officers saw. “Cutler was also slurring his words and had blood shot eyes,” the department said. “Cutler refused field sobriety tests and was taken to a local hospital where a blood sample was obtained through a blood search warrant.”
Jay Cutler has not commented publicly since entering his DUI plea. His attorney has also declined requests for comment.
His ex-wife, television personality Kristin Cavallari, briefly addressed the arrest last year on her podcast, saying she wished him “nothing but the best.” The pair married in 2013, split in 2020, and share three children.
Cutler played 12 seasons in the NFL, beginning with the Denver Broncos before his long run in Chicago. He finished his career in 2017 with the Miami Dolphins, retiring with more than 35,000 passing yards and 160 touchdowns.
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