Ex-NFL star Jay Cutler sparked outrage after posting photos on Instagram of an endangered animal that he’d killed.

The photos show a smiling Cutler crouching over a dead giant sable antelope — a massive-hoofed mammal known for its large, curved horns.

“Kicked off the Africa hunt with a beauty. Sable down,” the first post reads. Another post included a video montage of the hunt and Cutler shooting the animal.

Cutler uploaded more pictures of a seemingly dead antelope on Monday with the caption “Another great day.”

While some commenters congratulated Cutler, and noted the meat from the animals tends to be donated to locals, the trophy hunting got some criticism too.

“Wow, Jay you killed a wild animal in a place it’s rarely hunted and it had zero idea you were a threat,” one Instagram user commented on the first post. “Super impressive.”

“I went to Africa on a safari and saw the most incredible wildlife and never once thought about murdering them,” another wrote.

The giant sable antelope, which is considered critically endangered and nearly extinct, was considered “rare and impressive animal” in its native Angola, according to the Carnegie Museum of Natural history.

“Never numerous, today the Giant Sable is critically endangered, threatened by habitat loss, civil war, and poachers. Active conservation efforts continue, but population estimates indicate there are less than a hundred mature individuals,” the museum’s website reads.

However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources’ Red List, which tracks species, classifies the giant sable antelope as “stable” overall.

Cutler, 42, played 12 seasons in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins.

Watters’ homecoming

If Ricky Watters was misunderstood as brash bordering on arrogant during his NFL playing days, the former 49ers Super Bowl champion returned home to Harrisburg, Pa., to set the record straight.

Flanked by fans, friends, family and former players, the Bishop McDevitt High great from the mid-1980s shed tears thanking the people who believed in him when there was no reason to do so.

“These are the people who knew me when I was nothing. I had no money. There was nothing to believe in. But they believed in me,” said Watters, 56, who played on championship teams at every level of his career.

The self-described ‘Skinny Rick’ credited McDevitt teammate Sean Barowski with turning him on to nutrition, weightlifting and working out as a freshman.

“He accepted me on the squad. He didn’t have to,” Watters said, his arm clamped around his former fullback who went on to Penn State as tears leaked from beneath his sunglasses.

“The way he did that. The way he helped me out. And he’s still to this day, he’s one of my guys. I love him”.

The two proceeded re-write the McDevitt record books, with Barowski clearing the way and the high-stepping Watters scampering for scores.

Watters said his fullback made scoring easy. “He was knocking the mess out of people,” Watters said. “I would just run for a touchdown.”

The duo’s dominance culminated in a District Championship in 1985, with Barowski noting, “We scored 52 points a game.”

From there, Watters went on to Notre Dame from 1987-90, winning it all in 1988 under coach Lou Holtz. He was the 45th pick in the 1991 NFL draft by San Francisco, where he won Super Bowl XXIX in January 1995. He played for Philadelphia from 1995-97 before finishing out his career with Seattle, retiring after the 2001 season. Along the way, he earned five Pro Bowl bids.

After proclamations were read by Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick and Harrisburg City Councilman Lamont Jones, a chant of “Hall of Fame” broke out. The partisan crowd clearly believed Watters’ 10,643 rushing yards, 4,248 receiving yards and 91 TDs over 10 seasons make him worthy of enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.

As for the brashness that at times brought Watters criticism, Jones, a huge 49ers fan, chalked it up to Watters representing Harrisburg swagger on a national stage.

“This man took the high step to the 49ers, and he had one of the meanest stiff-arms in the game,” Jones said. “He brought the swag of Harrisburg, Pa., on national TV. He was the first one to do it. I thank you, man.”