Way to go front office !

According to cincyjungle we're interested in him. Really?

2 years, don’t see the $$ yet

Mike's back.

Tight end Mike Gesicki is re-signing with the Benglas on a three-year, $25.5 million deal, per sources.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 8, 2025

Might be a nice cheap pickup.

So I see a lot of people saying we need this or need that from a defensive perspective, and I have made the comment a couple times in other threads that an Al Golden defense may look very different than what we are used to, and what we NEED might be very different than where we have been the last several years with Lou.  These comments were driven by a Joe Goodberry breakdown of Al Golden's ND defense, that he produced prior to Al Golden being hired.  Here is the video and move ahead to 14:39 for the start of the ND defense breakdown in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmDVpFvr_ts&t=168s&ab_channel=FirstStarMediaGroup

Some things to consider....
Signings, drafting, releasing, trading and extensions for players could be driven by how the new DEF staff feels about player buyin to the new scheme.  Pratt and Trey might be pieces that are only poor to avg. fits.  

Personally, I am very excited to see the direction the DEF takes.

Tanner signed a one year extension. I know it is low hanging fruit but we do need these back of roster signings and they are far easier to get done than the big ones

Via Adam Schefter



I hate this organization, this franchise is not serious.

With Hubbard retiring and Ossai hitting FA, that leaves just Myles Murphy, Cedric Johnson, and Isaiah Thomas as the only DEs apart from Hendrickson.
At least one DE, if not multiple, will be added this offseason to cover for the departures, potentially one who would/could be thrust into a starting role.

So my question for you is...given this draft class and pool of FAs, would you rather see Hubbard's starting DE spot filled with a vet? Or would you rather see a high draft pick compete with Murphy for the spot?

When I look at the vets on the table that I think Bengals would consider, two names pop out to me - Chase Young and newly-released Joey Bosa.
Bosa isn't quite the savage pass rusher he was entering the league, but he's still solid. On top of that, he and his brother are friends with Burrow.
Young I believe is also friends with Burrow from their time at Ohio St, and Young is younger. Chase Young only turns 26 this April, so he's just entering his prime.
He hasn't to-date put up production like Bosa had though.

For draft picks, I look at guys like James Pearce Jr. (whom the Bengals met with at the Combine), Nic Scourton, and some other 1st rounders.
JPJ is more fitting of a weak-side DE who can be a double-digit sack artist, whereas I see Scourton more as a guy like Dunlap who will more likely be in the 7-9 range most years but better against the run.
Someone like Shemar Stewart isn't as well refined, but his ceiling may be higher than both of the above guys. I've seen a Stewart comp of Jadeveon Clowney, which I feel is pretty close. Clowney never amounted to what we would expect a 1st overall pick to be and savage pass rusher, but he was a good DE who has 11 years in the league.

Which way do you lean to cover starting DE duties opposite of Hendrickson for 2025?

Here's something that I don't think I've seen discussed for a while. First off, I'm not an estate lawyer or sports lawyer. But, I'll post some articles and then maybe people can chime in with what they know.

1) Teams have succession plans that they submit to the NFL: 'The NFL is aware of the McCaskey estate plan, and that of each of the other 30 family-owned franchises (the community-owned Green Bay Packers are an exception). Every summer, those teams submit updated franchise succession plans with the league’s central office. The documents, according to multiple people familiar with the process, lay out the current owner’s intentions for the team once he or she is no longer in control. Will there be an interim owner? Will the team be sold? Which heir will take over? Is that child aware and willing to assume responsibility?'

2) Both the Bills and Broncos sales came following the death of an owner. In fact, half of the most recent dozen NFL team sales can be traced to the death of the prior controlling owner. In 2010, the then St. Louis Rams were sold to Stan Kroenke so Georgia Frontiere’s children could satisfy their estate tax bill. Ralph Wilson (Bills), Leon Hess (Jets) and Jack Kent Cooke (Washington) all called for their teams to be sold after their passing, and Saints owner Gayle Benson said last year she will do the same. Atlanta and Denver were sold after their respective owners died, with the heirs in both cases fighting over whether to keep the team in the family. The Seattle Seahawks are currently controlled by the trust of late owner Paul Allen, who instructed that the team be sold with the proceeds going towards philanthropy.

3) As happy as the NFL is to add Walmart heir Rob Walton to its ownership ranks in Denver, the league prefers teams stay in the family when an owner dies.

Reference for 1-3 - https://www.sportico.com/business/finance/2022/nfl-succession-plans-chicago-bears-mccaskey-1234687987/

4) I believe this article has been posted, but it has a blurb about IRS issues when Paul Brown passed:

'Before Paul Brown died in 1991, he assigned Sawyer’s note and option to a family partnership that was also established in 1983. That allowed shares to be distributed to not only Mike and Pete Brown, but Mike’s wife, Nancy, and children, Katie Blackburn and Paul H. Brown.

The IRS argued the deal was a “sham” transaction, designed to avoid estate tax. But Colvin ruled it was an arms-length deal in which both sides got something of value.'

'Sawyer’s role as a Brown family friend first came to light when the IRS filed a $30 million tax lien against the team, claiming a 1983 option agreement was a way for the Browns to avoid estate taxes. Judge Colvin rejected the IRS claim while explaining how Sawyer helped the Brown family become majority owners.'

5) The Brown family now owns 97%.

6) The Cincinnati Bengals are worth between $4.1 billion and $5.25 billion, depending on whether you believe Forbes with the lower estimate, or CNBC with the highest.

Reference for 4-6 - https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/i-team/the-billionaire-bengals-how-the-brown-family-got-rich