What I Think Some are Forgetting In Terms of Spending

[SErebel11]

The truth of the matter is Cincinnati can add several pieces re-sign both Lawson and Jackson III and extend Bates and Hubbard. It's all about contract structure and smart decisions. The biggest issue would be how much liquid capital do the Bengals have to pay out bonuses to make the contracts work.

I did an offseason thread on this board to show it with a spreadsheet of the cap numbers.

Traded for 2 cap potential cap casualties LT Reilly Reiff (3 year extension 3/40M) and NT Jurrell Casey (11.8M)
Signed Matt Feiler RG 3/21M
Re-signed Lawson 4/48M
Re-sign Jackson 3/36M
Extended Bates 5/50M
Signed DE Romeo Okwara 4/48M
Signed CB Gareon Conley 1/3M
Re-signed CB Alexander 3/15M
Signed WR Tyrell Williams 1/4M
Signed Rex Burkhead 1/1.5M
Traded for RT Rob Havenstein making 6,750,000 this season
Kept out the 9.4M to pay for the draft.
Even after all that was almost 11.4M under the cap for this season and around 23M under for next season with the ability to cut Waynes and Casey and save 23M if need be..

Point is it is easy to shove money into next season's cap but to do that takes liquid capitol to pay bonuses up front.

They certainly have the money to franchise Lawson but it would be an overpay and instead of being able to push that money into 2022 they would be adding 11M to this seasons cap which would change the bottom line potential for this offseason.