‘Jay Cutler reignited my career’… Zach Miller on the Chicago Bears moment that changed his life

EXCLUSIVE: Jay Cutler went out of his way to give Zach Miller an opportunity to thrive with the Chicago Bears.

The former tight end carved his NFL legacy in stone. And with a love of football coursing through his veins, he recently headed to the UK, to give back to the fans.

Zach Miller reveals his favourite Jay Cutler memory

During his time at Chicago Bears, Zach Miller enjoyed an array of brilliant moments. The American set the world alight with his touchdown against the Green Bay Packers, and who could forget his one-handed catch against the San Diego Chargers?

However, he has one particular story with Jay Cutler that really stands out from the pack.

During an exclusive interview with Sporf, Miller reminisced: “I’ve got a tonne of memories with Jay. Monday night catch is up there, but prior to that, there was a pre-season game. I hadn’t played in the NFL for three years because I’d had three season-ending injuries back-to-back. Here I am, eighth on the depth chart in Chicago. We were playing the Philadelphia Eagles, somebody happened to get tired and needed to come out of the game.

“I just sprinted onto the football field, ran a seam route up the left side, and Jay threw a back-shoulder ball. He’s probably not going to throw the eighth-stringer all the time, and that catch reignited my career to get me back in the team, and gave me another shot at this thing. That memory was very inconspicuous, but for me, it holds a lot of weight, because it was a shot he took at me to give me an opportunity to play.”

While few are lucky enough to achieve their dream in one field, Miller has done it in two, with the talented performer now rocking the stage as a country music singer. And he coudln’t have done it without Cutler’s encouragement.

The Bears hero explained: “He was passing through Nebraska on a road trip, and he happened to stay for the night and hang out. He asked what I’d been up to, and I reluctantly told him I’d been writing music. A couple of drinks later, it turned into us playing a little bit. He was like, ‘You should pursue this’. He knows I’m having fun with it, and Jay would be a guy who’d be like, ‘Don’t do that’. So, that gave me a confidence boost, and then I fell in love with the process.”

Zach Miller is growing the Chicago Bears brand in the UK

Showcasing his love for the fans, Miller recently travelled to the UK, where he joined the supporters at a series of epic events.

The 42-year-old enthused: “It’s been great; we started our travels in Cardiff, Wales, for a couple of days, holding fan events. Then, we went to Leeds, which was incredible. We held an event at the Corn Exchange, which is a beautiful building in a very cool city. Next, it was Scotland, going back and forth between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The final stop was a watch party in Belfast, which was incredible.”

During his time in the UK, Miller was blown away by how beloved the Bears are in this part of the world.

He beamed: “I knew that we had an expansive fan base back home. For example, there was a Monday night game we played in San Diego that felt like a home game, so I knew we’d travelled well throughout the States. But we’re half a world away, and to see how the NFL is expanding is fantastic, and our Chicago Bears fan base is massive, so it’s really cool to connect with people over here about the game of football.”

Fans can keep up to date with what the Bears are doing in the UK, here.

Featured Image Credit: Getty