(04-07-2021, 11:18 AM)psychdoctor Wrote: I think Bates will be target, unless they draft Grant who to me is an equal to Bates potentially.  

I really can't imagine the Bengals would spend an early-round pick on a Safety when they have one of the best already in Bates plus they have Bell and just re-signed Wilson and also signed Allen to a 1-year stopgap deal.
If they really waste an early-round pick on Safety and Bates then walks out the door next offseason, it's just a dumb move.
At some point, you need to keep your own top talent.

Kinda pisses me off. Actually it really pisses me off.

Stupid

Good. Yes Gio has been a loyal soldier and a good player, but his contract doesn't match his production. RB's are a dime a dozen, hopefully this is another step towards this franchise operating more like a professional business and less like a mom and pop soda fountain.

What, exactly, are they intending to do with all of this cap space? Free agency is pretty much over... The big ticket pieces are anyway.

(04-07-2021, 11:37 AM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: What, exactly, are they intending to do with all of this cap space? Free agency is pretty much over... The big ticket pieces are anyway.

Gotta keep rolling over $10+ mill for that rainy day fund, amirite?!

(04-07-2021, 10:55 AM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Stupid. Unnecessary. Makes the team worse. Plus had teams calling for a trade.

God, let this be the last year of ZT and Duke.

I dont think any teams wanted to pay that salary....in any case too bad. I think he still has  5th round trade value .
Hopefully Traveon Williams can backfill his role as a change up guy

(04-07-2021, 11:39 AM)ochocincos Wrote: Gotta keep rolling over $10+ mill for that rainy day fund, amirite?!

I really hope they use this cap space to front load Jessie Bates and/or Sam Hubbard. That would allow us to keep them around and affordable for a few more years, which would be a nice development if they don't want to actually fix our Oline XD.

Hip is a 29 year old back up running back making 4 mil a year. It’s time to move on.

Look, at first blush I absolutely hate this move as I feel right now its just kind has the feel of money-in-owner's-pocket move.  Maybe I am overreacting.  I will be patient as it feels like that's all we are in Bengaldom nowadays.

That said, if they then spend their 2nd round pick on a RB I might have to burn the stadium down.  

It’s not gio’s fault they overpaid him. Was he not supposed to sign the contract? I get asking him to take a pay cut. I get him declining. I don’t get waiting until now to do it.

If they were already planning on his money coming off the books they should have traded or cut him sooner. Imho it looks bad doing that to a loyal player


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At this point it really feels like a purge. Empty out any and all remaining preZT contributors. Why? I’m not sure. Could be an ego thing. Could be part of the ‘plan’. Either way, feels like one way or another we are going to be rid of any and all veterans that were here when ZT arrived. Doesn’t matter if it makes sense to them. It’s part of the rebuild.

(04-07-2021, 10:51 AM)sloSTI Wrote: Didn't they have teams asking about a trade? Or was that proven wrong?

(04-07-2021, 10:53 AM)BurnsBengal Wrote: I think a straight up release is terrible.  Hard for me not to feel cynical about this and feel they botched it.

(04-07-2021, 10:55 AM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Stupid. Unnecessary. Makes the team worse. Plus had teams calling for a trade.

God, let this be the last year of ZT and Duke.

(04-07-2021, 10:57 AM)Schmitbuck Wrote: Seems like the rumors of teams calling about a trade were exaggerated. I wouldn't mind bringing him back at a lower salary. 

No one in the NFL is trading for a 29 year old, 2nd string RB, with a $7m salary/$4m cap hit.

(04-07-2021, 11:22 AM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: AJ, Geno, and now Gio...all in the same offseason. Feels really weird.

Who is even the longest tenured Bengal now? Hopkins?

I wonder if it didn't just feel weird to him ? pay cut aside ?

There's only a handful of ML era players and coaches left. Perhaps he just felt like an outsider ?

At any rate good luck Gio 

(04-07-2021, 11:31 AM)BurnsBengal Wrote: Not doing this finagling before the FA period where they could have applied his money.  Where is this money going?  They had plenty of cap space and didn't need to do it.  Guy is a leader and plays a great and necessary role with a huge nod to protecting Burrow...again they didn't need the space. I don't give a crap about the Browns making more money.   If they extend Hubbard and Bates I'll be the first to admit I was wrong, but I don't think that's happening.

Not to mention in the back of my mind continues to be the thought of what competent organizations do:
AJ Green, Atkins, Gio, Dunlap, Dalton.  A sixth round pick in return?

Sorry, I'm really not typically a negative fan.  I annoy my friends with "wait 'till next year"-ism and FA and draft time is my Super Bowl nowadays.  This move sucks, imo.

They knew they had this move in their pocket so from the team perspective it really didn't matter when they released Bernard.  It is almost impossible to get a trade partner for an expensive older player especially when the writing is on the wall is that a release is coming.  Every team has that challenge, not just the Bengals.  Fans tend to way over price trade value for these guys

(04-07-2021, 11:43 AM)GreenCornBengal Wrote: At this point it really feels like a purge. Empty out any and all remaining preZT contributors. Why? I’m not sure. Could be an ego thing. Could be part of the ‘plan’. Either way, feels like one way or another we are going to be rid of any and all veterans that were here when ZT arrived. Doesn’t matter if it makes sense to them. It’s part of the rebuild.

Moving on from Bernard made sense. He was being overpaid for "just" being a good pass blocker and pass catcher.
The big issue is the Bengals waited around to cut veterans like Hart, Atkins, and Bernard instead of letting them go earlier and actually using that saved cap (>$15 mill) to sign a good upgrade at a different position. They could have added another WR and/or a top OL.
Instead, they have all this extra cap and no one good to spend it on.

Some might say they will put a good portion of it toward extensions, but I doubt much of it will go to that.
My expectation is only about $5-10 mill will go toward extensions, about $5 mill will go towards draft picks (after displacement), and the remaining $10-15 mill will get rolled over.

(04-07-2021, 10:55 AM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Stupid. Unnecessary. Makes the team worse. Plus had teams calling for a trade.

God, let this be the last year of ZT and Duke.

Would you release a player with a trade offer on the table? No.

So what does that tell you? There was never any trade offers. That was just the Bengals leaking that in an attempt to drum up a trade offer for a player they were going to cut.

And, again, they make more cap space despite fitting Bernard’s cap hit under the limit. For what purpose?

This board truly does suffer from schizophrenia. For the last 6 months, all we have heard is "cut Gio".... now, they release him and y'all are mad. Sometimes I just have to laugh. Good luck to him wherever he lands, I have long said he should be kept, if for nothing else, as protection for Burrow.

(04-07-2021, 11:18 AM)psychdoctor Wrote: I think Bates will be target, unless they draft Grant who to me is an equal to Bates potentially.  

isnt Bates also Pre ZT era.... Probly needs to go as well.  as ZT cant win with any marvin players.

(04-07-2021, 11:52 AM)Sled21 Wrote: This board truly does suffer from schizophrenia. For the last 6 months, all we have heard is "cut Gio".... now, they release him and y'all are mad. Sometimes I just have to laugh. Good luck to him wherever he lands, I have long said he should be kept, if for nothing else, as protection for Burrow.

unless we are about to use the savings on an upgrade i dont see the point

(04-07-2021, 11:48 AM)PDub80 Wrote: No one in the NFL is trading for a 29 year old, 2nd string RB, with a $7m salary/$4m cap hit.

https://www.nfl.com/news/saints-trade-darren-sproles-to-philadelphia-eagles-0ap2000000333709