DJ Reader gone after this season

[*ochocincos*]

(05-04-2023, 09:15 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: The salary cap has been increasing more rapidly, after the setback from the covid season.

True it's going up, but not crazy amount.

2022 increase of $25.7 mill was primarily due to 2021 decrease of $15.7 mill the year before.
If comparing to 2020, the 2022 cap only went up by $10 mill.

2023 was an increase of $16.6 mill, but there have been other seasons with >$10 mill increase (2016 - $12 mill, 2017 - $11.7 mill, 2019 - $11 mill)

Burrow's, Chase's, and Higgins' contracts are going to eat up (way) more than the cap will increase.
Also, Bengals can't invest nearly as much $$ into the DL moving forward, maybe up to two veteran starters.
Hendrickson, Hubbard, and Hill are all under contract after Reader hits FA, so I think it's a near certainty he's walking unless willing to take even lower money than he makes now.
Bengals won't, I don't think, give $15+ mill APY to a NT who is 30+ years old.