01-07-2024, 07:19 PM
(01-07-2024, 06:20 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: I think you can still fit in a single $10m/yr type veteran just to make sure it's not Chase and a bunch of nobodies in the WR room, but yeah there's going to need to be a lot of rookie contracts in there.
Tee's final hamstring really hurt us on the compensation front. If he had another big game in the final two weeks, I think trying to tag and trade him would be a no brainer.... now it's just a really tough decision.....
-Say you tag him, will he sign it before the draft? You can't trade him until he signs the tag and if he doesn't sign it before the draft you're looking at 2025 draft picks rather than 2024 draft picks.
-Say he does sign it before draft, you're probably not going to be able to trade him until after the free agency frenzy is over because teams will first try to sign a WR who won't cost them draft picks (Mike Evans and any of the expected tagged WRs who might not be tagged). That means you have to have $23m in cap space taken up that you can't sign free agents with yourself because if a trade somehow doesn't go through you're then going to be $20m+ over the cap.
...on the other hand, letting him walk in FA and getting a 2025 3rd round compensatory pick is just pitiful feeling. Honestly the play was to trade Tee last offseason when he would have been worth more, he couldn't stop the trade by refusing to sign the tag, and we could have been certain to get draft picks for that offseason's draft to help us now rather than in the future. Too late now, but really a missed window there.
It just feels like chase, yoshi, Charlie jones, Irwin are gonna be out there next year. I think yoshi and charlie jones can get it done if given enough snaps, maybe starter snaps - and they'll have to. they're showing they can do it, yoshi is a redzone threat. Chase brown can take over #1 duties, it needs to switch and keep mixon as #2. With Mixon's motivational issues throughout his career he would do very well as #2 playing mad. I'm already over Tee leaving because I don't see this franchise giving him the money eh wants unless someone else left something on the table for him, but it's hard for him to want to get over never being a #1? He can leave and be a #1 receiver and make more money (probably), it's a tough decision, especially if the other team is a contender.
I agree we missed Tee's greatest trade window, hard to trade high and buy low when everyone is going to yell. I don't know how much the bengals organization cares about fan's opinions though lol.
If we pay tee what he wants how much did it hamper the rest of our team? We're not putting up 27-30 a game and winning with 1 of the trio being injured every other game (Burrow, Chase, Tee). Although the stats may say otherwise it's harder on teams when they can't double both Chase and Tee out there.
