When you read something like this, you know something is seriously wrong with the NFL rookie salary structure.

The Lions are interested in Cutler and would be willing to send the Broncos the first pick in the draft. But the Broncos don’t want it. Rather, the Broncos would ask for the Lions’ second first-round pick (No. 20) and possibly their second-rounder (No. 33), or another first-round pick in 2010. The Lions don’t believe they can financially bear the burden of paying for the first pick in this year’s draft, as well as sign Cutler to a contract extension.

Can you imagine an NBA team saying that they don’t want the first overall pick?

Me neither.

The NFL needs to go to a reasonable rookie salary cap, and fast.

SI.com’s Peter King notes in his Tuesday edition of “Monday Morning Quarterback� that the Broncos aren’t currently entertaining any trade offers at this time for Jay Cutler.

Hold off on the Jay Cutler trade talk — for now. A source close to one team that has inquired with the Broncos about the unhappy quarterback tells me the Broncos have told them they’re hanging on to Cutler and won’t entertain discussions for him at this time.

That’s a natural thing for the Broncos to say. They can’t give Cutler or his agent, Bus Cook, a shred of evidence that they want to move him until coach Josh McDaniels is convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt the relationship with Cutler is not fixable. But it’s probably more likely than unlikely the Broncos will find the situation can’t be remedied, in my opinion. So I do expect Denver’s tune to change sometime between now and the April 25 draft, and I do expect Cutler to be traded.

I expect the usual suspects to line up for Cutler — Detroit, Cleveland, San Francisco, Tennessee and perhaps Carolina, though the Panthers, without a first-round pick in the 2009 draft, will be at a severe disadvantage. But I don’t think he’ll end up in one of those spots unless Detroit offers the 20th and 33rd picks of the draft, and a player sweetener, straight up for him.

I expect the most fervent suitors to be Tampa Bay and the New York Jets.

I still think Detroit has the most to offer with two first round picks. Then again, they have a ton of holes to fill and giving up multiple draft picks for Cutler could be too much in the end when they could select Matthew Stafford with the first overall pick.

My best guess is that Cutler gets dealt on one of the days leading up to the draft. But there’s a fair amount of time between now and then so maybe McDaniels can pull a rabbit out of his hat and remedy the situation before then.

Let me state for the record that I’m just speculating here, but if the Broncos do eventually decide to trade disgruntled quarterback Jay Cutler, the Detroit Lions seem like a perfect fit.

The Lions are in obvious need of a quarterback and currently hold the No. 1 and No. 20 overall picks in next month’s draft. If they’re interested in Cutler, they could offer the No. 1 pick, assuming that Denver also swings Detroit a mid rounder as part of the package.

The quarterback class in this year’s draft is awfully weak. Assuming of course that the Broncos would be willing to trade Cutler, wouldn’t the Lions be better off with him than Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez? Even if they do give up the No. 1 pick for Cutler, they still have the No. 20 pick to address their need at left tackle (Michael Oher, anyone?).

Cutler hasn’t won anything yet and has proven to be an arrogant crybaby at times, but there’s no denying that he has the physical tools to succeed in the NFL. That’s not to say that Stafford or Sanchez don’t, but at least Cutler already has experience under his belt and 25 (he’ll be 26 at the end of April) he’s still awfully young.