(01-31-2024, 03:35 PM)ochocincos Wrote: I could see a team giving Higgins $20-25 mill APY.
He's better than Brandin Cooks, who is making $19.9 mill APY.
Also better than Diontae Johnson, who is making $18.3 mill APY.

Would the Bengals be willing to pay Higgins $20+ mill APY for Higgins while also inevitably going to pay Chase $30+ mill APY and also paying Burrow's premium?

I will say this...if they do pay Higgins along with also Chase, expect A LOT less to be spent on OL after this group of OL have their contracts ending in the next couple years.

Yup

Every year there's a small group of teams willing to cough of big money for upper tier free agents. I wouldn't be shocked at all at somebody offering lower end #1 WR money for Tee. Perhaps even higher ?

And I'm just not sure he's worth that considering everywhere else we'll have to cut corners.

(01-31-2024, 03:09 PM)ochocincos Wrote: This shouldn't be surprising.
Higgins is likely going to get (way) more on the open market than what the Bengals are going to (be willing to) pay.
We have to accept that sometimes the team will need to let some good players go and hold them accountable if they aren't hitting on their early draft picks.

It's painful when it happens.

(01-31-2024, 08:19 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: Yup

Every year there's a small group of teams willing to cough of big money for upper tier free agents. I wouldn't be shocked at all at somebody offering lower end #1 WR money for Tee. Perhaps even higher ?

And I'm just not sure he's worth that considering everywhere else we'll have to cut corners.

The funny thing is $20 mill APY still would put him close to the Top 10 among WR.

Still holding out hope for a Tag and Trade but if not let him go.... you can't be paying that much cash for Burrow, Chase and Tee.

You can get close to his production elsewhere....

What exactly did Joe discuss long term before he became the highest paid player in the league?

(01-31-2024, 05:27 PM)ochocincos Wrote: I did look at the year-by-year cap numbers to see how much Burrow would impact, and it's not very high these next few years.

Cap hit by year for Burrow:
2024 - $29.7 mill
2025 - $46.2 mill
2026 - $48.2 mill

It isn't until 2027 where Burrow's cap hit goes above $50 mill, culminating in $68 mill cap hit in 2029, Burrow's final year under contract.

So  just 3 year window and we are in trouble,  not good 

Quote:Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has commented that he discussed the long-term plan with the team before signing his own major extension, which presumably includes plans for Higgins.

0 idea why one would presume JB advocated "plans for Higgins".  JB cared about the plans of one person when he signed the biggest contract in the history of the NFL

I'm not sure how this would tank his trade value. We have the cap space to tag him and have him play out the year. What Duke is talking about is the reality of signing him long term, which isn't realistic.

If a team wants to trade for him, they're still going to have to pony up. And when Duke talks about how much they like Tee, that lets teams know that they'll have to make a good offer to get us to think about it.

Tobin is the most overrated front office guy in the league. If he lets Tee walk for nothing, then I'm done with him.

I'm sick and tired of losing our best ***** players because the Bengals don't want to guarantee money or spend up to the cap.

(01-31-2024, 08:33 PM)ochocincos Wrote: The funny thing is $20 mill APY still would put him close to the Top 10 among WR.

Now, maybe, but it won't when Week 1 rolls around. Mike Evans (was at $16.5m/yr) is a FA and will make >$20m/yr on a shorter deal because he's about as reliable of a WR as you can possibly get. Then you have...

Justin Jefferson
CeeDee Lamb
Brandon Aiyuk
Michael Pittman Jr

Are all heading into the final year of their rookie deals and...

Ja'Marr Chase
Amon-Ra St Brown
Jaylen Waddle
DeVonta Smith
Nico Collins

Are all going to be eligible for an extension now this offseason. A WR now who gets $20m/yr, when Week 1 rolls around they will probably be in a 3-way tie (replacing Mike Williams who almost certainly is being cut) for somewhere around 18th or 19th based on the assumption that a couple of those guys won't get extensions yet. If Tee gets $20.5m or $21m per from a team, it could push $20m/yr down to a 3-way tie for 20th.

(01-31-2024, 10:51 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Tobin is the most overrated front office guy in the league. If he lets Tee walk for nothing, then I'm done with him.

I'm sick and tired of losing our best ***** players because the Bengals don't want to guarantee money or spend up to the cap.

I’m plenty critical of Duke myself, but what best players has he let walk outside of Bates?

(01-31-2024, 11:25 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: I’m plenty critical of Duke myself, but what best players has he let walk outside of Bates?

Well, they won't pay Tee. Didn't pay Bates or Bell. That's 3 quality players in two years. 

(01-31-2024, 11:52 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Well, they won't pay Tee. Didn't pay Bates or Bell. That's 3 quality players in two years. 

bell was older and they just succesfully replaced him with Battle

(01-31-2024, 03:19 PM)jj22 Wrote: I don't see how they can rightfully offer more than they did last offseason given his season. And I doubt his agent will allow for him to take less. Tee and his Agent gambled and loss. I like Tee and love the "big 3" talk and relationship as we all do, but Bengals probably had the best offer to him last offseason. He didn't do enough to make them come back to the table with more money. 

I agree, Tee really didn't help himself.

(01-31-2024, 11:52 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Well, they won't pay Tee. Didn't pay Bates or Bell. That's 3 quality players in two years. 

Now you’ve moved from best players to quality players to include Bell. Who we have a suitable replacement for.

Again, you can count on one hand how many times the Bengals have let their “best players” walk without a 2nd contract in recent history. Bates, Zeitler, maybe Marvin Jones (who wanted to be a #1). There’s a few but it’s hardly some common thing they are known for. The Bengals usually keep their best players. Hell, for years it’s all they worried about before they started seriously dipping into FA.

(01-31-2024, 03:35 PM)ochocincos Wrote: I could see a team giving Higgins $20-25 mill APY.
He's better than Brandin Cooks, who is making $19.9 mill APY.
Also better than Diontae Johnson, who is making $18.3 mill APY.

Would the Bengals be willing to pay Higgins $20+ mill APY for Higgins while also inevitably going to pay Chase $30+ mill APY and also paying Burrow's premium?

I will say this...if they do pay Higgins along with also Chase, expect A LOT less to be spent on OL after this group of OL have their contracts ending in the next couple years.

I am hoping to make 2+2=4 here, but I am reading they are intensely looking at OL personal in this class.. We will see..

(01-31-2024, 11:59 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: bell was older and they just succesfully replaced him with Battle

I feel like that word isn't fully applicable. Battle had some good performance from a personal standpoint and I think he is promising, but our secondary had terrible communication, they were constantly allowing huge plays, and apparently our LBs couldn't trust our safeties to be in the right spots. What Bell brought wasn't just his own play, and that hasn't been successfully replaced at all yet.

If it was fully successful, then the defense wouldn't have gone to complete shit like it did.

(02-01-2024, 01:22 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: I feel like that word isn't fully applicable. Battle had some good performance from a personal standpoint and I think he is promising, but our secondary had terrible communication, they were constantly allowing huge plays, and apparently our LBs couldn't trust our safeties to be in the right spots. What Bell brought wasn't just his own play, and that hasn't been successfully replaced at all yet.

If it was fully successful, then the defense wouldn't have gone to complete shit like it did.

Is that Battle or Hill making those calls?

(02-01-2024, 01:25 AM)sandwedge Wrote: Is that Battle or Hill making those calls?

Does it matter? He said Battle successfully replaced Bell. If the calls aren't being made or being made well, and we have a vacancy of leadership and competency, he hasn't been successfully replaced yet.

https://theathletic.com/3477710/2022/08/04/vonn-bell-bengals-camp/

Quote:But it is not front of mind when the conversation turns toward Bell’s biggest impact. Instead, it’s the 6 a.m. clanging of weights, the off-day meetings ring-leading, the practice peacemaking, the gentle — and occasionally not-so-gentle — suggesting and correcting.

In a word: leadership.
“He’s one of the best leaders I’ve been around,” said senior defensive assistant Mark Duffner, who is in his 26th NFL season.
“One thing you can count on is Vonn’s always going to be there,” defensive end Sam Hubbard said. “There’s never been a day where that’s not been the case. And over time, you garner a lot of respect for people who do that.”

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2022/07/29/bengals-training-camp-von-bell-most-important-defensive-player/10181032002/

Quote:The 27-year-old is valuable to the Bengals in many ways but his leadership on and off the field tops the list. He’s a team captain and one of the main voices on defense. He’s also the player who carries the responsibility of making sure everyone is lined up right in Anarumo’s scheme.

It is very likely the Bengals could tag and then trade Tee. My guess they could at least a 2nd round pick in 2024 and a possible 2 that turns into a 1 if Tee has a great year for his new team.

Once tagged, the Bengals FO could get Tee's agent permission to seek a trade and a long term higher paid contract.

If so, Bengals would have a great shot at a very good WR in round 1 or round 2.