(02-02-2025, 02:23 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: I’d rather have a legit 750 yard tier wr2 who can play all 17 than the 10th best receiver missing 5-6 games per year

What really hurts is the games he's missed.

He missed the 2024 KC game, and the 2023 KC game he got a hamstring injury in the 1st quarter.
He's missed a Baltimore game in both 2023 and 2024. 
He had 0 yards against Cleveland in 2023.
He missed a Steelers game in 2023 and got hurt in a Steelers game in 2024.
He missed the 2023 Texans game.
He missed the 2024 Eagles game.

It's not like he's missing games against the Panthers, Jaguars, and Colts. He's missing a lot of the big games against divisional rivals and the peak teams in the AFC/NFC that year.

- - - - - - -

I don't think I would go as far as saying I would prefer a guy who gets 750 yards in 17 games over Tee, but when you're talking about the sheer amount of money Tee is expected to make... you could get a guy who can get 750 yards over 17 games AND a high quality starting FA Guard instead of Tee (4yr/$114m being floated around for Tee, 5yr/$105m being floated around for Trey Smith).

(02-02-2025, 02:23 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: I’d rather have a legit 750 yard tier wr2 who can play all 17 than the 10th best receiver missing 5-6 games per year

Agreed. Keep Burrow happy by signing Chase, but focus on roster building with players that can last a 17 game season.

(02-02-2025, 06:25 PM)TecmoBengals Wrote: Agreed. Keep Burrow happy by signing Chase, but focus on roster building with players that can last a 17 game season.

Right

We just can't put 30 million in Tee and still get all the pieces we need to rebuild the defense. Not to mention two guards and depth players galore. 

(02-02-2025, 06:17 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: What really hurts is the games he's missed.

He missed the 2024 KC game, and the 2023 KC game he got a hamstring injury in the 1st quarter.
He's missed a Baltimore game in both 2023 and 2024. 
He had 0 yards against Cleveland in 2023.
He missed a Steelers game in 2023 and got hurt in a Steelers game in 2024.
He missed the 2023 Texans game.
He missed the 2024 Eagles game.

It's not like he's missing games against the Panthers, Jaguars, and Colts. He's missing a lot of the big games against divisional rivals and the peak teams in the AFC/NFC that year.

- - - - - - -

I don't think I would go as far as saying I would prefer a guy who gets 750 yards in 17 games over Tee, but when you're talking about the sheer amount of money Tee is expected to make... you could get a guy who can get 750 yards over 17 games AND a high quality starting FA Guard instead of Tee (4yr/$114m being floated around for Tee, 5yr/$105m being floated around for Trey Smith).

exactly. The more durable 750 guy is gonna cost very little comparred to Tee, which will open up more possibilites to fill other spots with better players. Hopefully

(02-02-2025, 06:14 PM)pulses Wrote: Well they may get more than that but he's gonna be a pain in the ass to extend and I think it's gonna be messy......better off to load up on picks/players....And also I would sign someone else in FA to help as well I wouldn't put it all on the rookies

Messy if they cheap out on him. Still not going to replace his production with any combo of vets and rookies. They can’t even get anyone to help him out

(02-02-2025, 06:49 PM)Clark W Griswold Wrote: Messy if they cheap out on him. Still not going to replace his production with any combo of vets and rookies.  They can’t even get anyone to help him out

They're not gonna pay him 25-30 million a year.

(02-02-2025, 06:49 PM)Clark W Griswold Wrote: Messy if they cheap out on him. Still not going to replace his production with any combo of vets and rookies.  They can’t even get anyone to help him out

thats fine. Get better guards, improve the defense, and utilize the RB's more(whether its with passes or rushes)

(02-02-2025, 06:55 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: thats fine. Get better guards, improve the defense, and utilize the RB's more(whether its with passes or rushes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk3hB5QBp88&t=4s

(02-02-2025, 06:32 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: Right

We just can't put 30 million in Tee and still get all the pieces we need to rebuild the defense. Not to mention two guards and depth players galore. 

Honestly I think we absolutely can do those things with signing all 3 guys. Will the Bengals do all that probably not but they could. I seriously doubt we get two guards in FA even if we let Tee walk. So sign all three get a veteran guard that has some upside then get one more piece outside of keeping some of our other role players. Maybe an edge player? I'm thinking this draft is so loaded at DT we could probably let Hill go and double dip there in the later rds. Boom championship. 

(02-02-2025, 06:45 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: exactly. The more durable 750 guy is gonna cost very little comparred to Tee, which will open up more possibilites to fill other spots with better players. Hopefully

Yeah just like we used all that saved money letting Bates go and got the cheaper replacements and we're able to spread the savings around. Oh wait yeah that worked out horribly.

My absolute max for Tee is/was (and I can't believe I am typing this) 24m per.

It doesn't seem like that is going to fly so bye Tee. Go to the Steelers or another AFCN rival and you are dead to me.  Also, the Chiefs.

If not  thank you and good luck! (Think Commanders)

Now - Burrow's comments on the matter are becoming concerning. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt he knows what a salary cap is as he parades around calling for these 3 guys to get top dollar.

The concern is did he open the door for a way out should things go south on offense after we lose Tee? Is that the real "plan"?

Again, the guy isn't stupid. Offense falls off a cliff while we still go 9-8 or worse in 25?  "See I told you so - trade me"

Meanwhile a guy getting his salary shouldn't really need 2 #1's with a decent line protecting him. I guess that last part is important and HOPEFULLY it finally gets fixed.

Stay tuned I guess.

(02-02-2025, 07:32 PM)NUGDUKWE Wrote: Yeah just like we used all that saved money letting Bates go and got the cheaper replacements and we're able to spread the savings around. Oh wait yeah that worked out horribly.

So you’re saying just re-sign tee and accept whatever the front office will do to repair the roster with 2 receivers making big time cash? Very much limiting their ability to help the rest of the team?

Because it seems a lot easier they can find a 1 year cheap prove it WR like they did at TE with Hurst and Gesicki. And then you have more money to spend wisely

The people who want Tee back sound like they’re just throwing in the towel. Like the team won’t get fixed, so might as well make Burrow happy and sign Tee

This feels like the Chase vs Sewell debates all over again. With certain people completely dug in on one side or the other and just constantly repeating themselves over and over again.

Personally, I’d like Tee back, but if they decide to go in a different direction and actually spend that money smartly elsewhere I’d be on board with that, too. There’s a case to be made for both, imo.

(02-02-2025, 08:27 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: So you’re saying just re-sign tee and accept whatever the front office will do to repair the roster with 2 receivers making big time cash? Very much limiting their ability to help the rest of the team?

Because it seems a lot easier they can find a 1 year cheap prove it WR like they did at TE with Hurst and Gesicki. And then you have more money to spend wisely

The people who want Tee back sound like they’re just throwing in the towel. Like the team won’t get fixed, so might as well make Burrow happy and sign Tee

I'm not throwing in the towel but the defense will be a ? no matter which direction we take and I suppose that is part of my thinking.

1: The Bengals need to change how they do contracts to keep up with the rest of the league. Signing these 3 players may force they're hand to do that. 
2: I think realistically our outside FA haul is going to be limited but when keeping Tee you just need like 2 outside FA at selective spots and we could be set up well for the draft. As a opposed to not keeping him you need to probably bring in 4 solid players to free up space in the draft to find another WR early.
3: We just have a limited amount of top end talent on our roster and I don't think we can afford to let some of what we have walk.

(02-02-2025, 08:42 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: This feels like the Chase vs Sewell debates all over again. With certain people completely dug in on one side or the other and just constantly repeating themselves over and over again.

Personally, I’d like Tee back, but if they decide to go in a different direction and actually spend that money smartly elsewhere I’d be on board with that, too. There’s a case to be made for both, imo.

I was Sewell but then relented before the draft and was excited for Chase. So I did change positions and think we all just need to trust in Burrow. 
I will also trust in the team if we attack FA accordingly letting Tee walk. But I'm not gonna lie to myself if we let Tee walk sign Chase and the clap our hands together and say there's only so much pie to go around we have to save money for rookie salaries. Every year we are one of the top teams in cap space then we sign like 2-3 players and suddenly that's all the money nothing left.

(02-02-2025, 08:46 PM)NUGDUKWE Wrote: I'm not throwing in the towel but the defense will be a ? no matter which direction we take and I suppose that is part of my thinking.

1: The Bengals need to change how they do contracts to keep up with the rest of the league. Signing these 3 players may force they're hand to do that. 
2: I think realistically our outside FA haul is going to be limited but when keeping Tee you just need like 2 outside FA at selective spots and we could be set up well for the draft. As a opposed to not keeping him you need to probably bring in 4 solid players to free up space in the draft to find another WR early.
3: We just have a limited amount of top end talent on our roster and I don't think we can afford to let some of what we have walk.

Does the rest of the league have to deal with 3 maybe 4 contracts close to 30M or more a year? I'm not siding with anybody here just yet till numbers come out. 

(02-02-2025, 09:40 PM)sandwedge Wrote: Does the rest of the league have to deal with 3 maybe 4 contracts close to 30M or more a year? I'm not siding with anybody here just yet till numbers come out. 

A good question. I'm not really sure but I can say the eagles have a similar situation and they are in the superbowl not that I think those things correspond. But I think it points to are poor drafting and state of our roster. If we had drafted better in recent years than perhaps we would have both other players to pay upper end position money and more freedom when it comes to the draft to let Tee walk. Now it just so happens two of the picks we hit on are highly paid positions. I don't think it screws us because people that understand the salary cap structure better than I do are saying we can make it work. The Bengals may need to adjust to the rest of the league but that's not a bad thing.

(01-31-2025, 09:26 AM)reuben.ahmed Wrote: Until 2025 I would say we are a colossal failure, if all we have is memories of on very rare occasions being in suprbowls and not actually winning them.

I don't think a front loaded offense with no defense is going to win a superbowl, it's going to put us on the edge of missing/making playoffs and that's it. I don't see Tee signing here, or if he does, we can kiss our superbowl hopes goodbye - where is the D? 

Being underpaid is not a good feeling, I dont' think Tee will be happy if he's making significantly less (even though we all know that money isn't that big a difference in the end especially if he now has a superbowl ring) - but we can see Burrow didn't take less, and Chase won't - so why would Tee.

So IMO - unless Burrow and Chase somehow take less, Tee is gone. I got my coworker a large raise, so much so that he makes more than me, I'm OK with that but there isn't 1% of me thinking, why don't I also make that much? Lol.

It's possible with a HOF coach we could make that front loaded offense work, I don't think we have any HOF coaches on staff.

Tee is still young, it would be crazy of him to take less, he will take less as a Vet to try and win a ring - like nearly every other NFL player before him. I don't have a lot of hope in keeping him.

agree and have been saying this very same thing for years. 

Waiting until this season could definitely backfire if Tee walks in FA. 

(01-31-2025, 08:55 AM)pulses Wrote: I'm pretty  sure they could get a 2nd plus another pick for him.

Certainly hope so or it will be an epic failure not trading him last season 

(02-02-2025, 08:42 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: This feels like the Chase vs Sewell debates all over again.