Free Agency Prediction Game

[Essex Johnson]

(02-29-2016, 09:09 PM)BengalChris Wrote: Adam Jones CIN, 2 years, $6.5m AAV [top cover corners are expensive and $6.5M is cheap]
Reggie Nelson CIN, 2 years, $4.5m AAV
Marvin Jones CIN, 4 years, $6m AAV
Emmanuel Lamur CIN, 2 years, $2m AAV [I expect the team to wait on this one if they plan to draft a cover LB.]
Eric Winston CIN, 1 year, $1m AAV [probably still better than Fisher, like last year.]
The above adds up to $20m, which is probably our upper limiting on spending for this year's free agents. We'll still need a returner. This leaves about $16M for rookies, other team's free agents, injury signings and rollover to 2017 and working out an extension for Eifert.

Leon Hall (somewhere else - MIA, NE, Pitts or BAL) 2 years, $3m AAV
George Iloka (somewhere else), 4 years, $6.5m (7m with incentives) AAV [someone is going to pay him for his potential and that will put him outside what the Bengals will pay. Shawn Williams is an unrestricted FA after 2016, FYI.]
Vincent Rey (somewhere else where he can start), 3 years, $3.5m AAV
Wallace Gilberry (somewhere else - to a team that wants to create a DL rotation), 2 years, $2m AAV
Mohamed Sanu (somewhere else - BAL, JAX, CLE, SF) 3 years, $3.25m AAV [he'll go somewhere where he can get more targets and more $'s.]
Andre Smith (somewhere else - a team with OL problems like JAX, TENN, SF, BAL), 3 years, $5m AAV

Brandon Thompson (nowhere until recovers - I really don't see anyone signing him except us and since he's never really done all that much and is coming off an ACL, I really think he'll be on the sidelines for now.)
Brandon Tate (our part time returner will be out of the league or may be signed by a team as an injury replacement at some point.)
Pat Sims (out of the league by end of training camp)

Cap saving moves we could make would be:
1. Call the Hunt experiment a done and send him packing.
2. Sign Zietler to an extension which would reduce his salary this year from $8M to about $6M per year. He might do this for more guaranteed money in the contract. At $8M for 2016 Zietler and DeCastro are the highest paid OGs in the league.

I don;t see Rey leaving or Bengals not signing him.. he already is a starter.. he sees the field more than anyone except Burfict