(03-17-2025, 09:25 AM)Sled21 Wrote: See there, all the hand-wringing, whining and criticizing about Chase and Tee's contracts over the last month or so was for nothing. Next up is Trey.

The only “gripe” could be the urgency. If they got this deal done just a week earlier, total money might have only been $65m/year (before Myles Garrett extension). On the flip side, everyone in the know was at the combine last month and it was probably public knowledge that $35 last year was at least 38+ this year with the 9% increase… so not detrimental in all likelihood.

The bigger miss on the timing is that, had this been done last Sunday, maybe FA looks differently and there is another body or two already in the building.

Can still get Teven Jenkins (unlikely), Brandon Scherff, will Hernandez, Jon feliciano, dalton risner….

(03-17-2025, 09:30 AM)Soonerpeace Wrote: I don’t think they resign Trey. He’s just too expensive yet attractive to some teams. We will get a nice pick out of it. We will take an edge & DT with the first 2 picks and a CB if we get a good pick for Trey. Free Agency maybe a veteran but so so guard. The new OL coach will be huge. He will be so refreshing. He’s gonna help them all.

How the Ja'Marr and Tee Higgins contracts are structured will be important. If the Bengals did the WRs like Joe's well they can give Trey a shorter large conract.

(03-17-2025, 09:34 AM)Bengalbug Wrote: The only “gripe” could be the urgency.  If they got this deal done just a week earlier, total money might have only been $65m/year (before Myles Garrett extension).  On the flip side, everyone in the know was at the combine last month and it was probably public knowledge that $35 last year was at least 38+ this year with the 9% increase… so not detrimental in all likelihood.

The bigger miss on the timing is that, had this been done last Sunday, maybe FA looks differently and there is another body or two already in the building.  

Can still get Teven Jenkins (unlikely), Brandon Scherff, will Hernandez, Jon feliciano, dalton risner….

Multi-player deals, especially with players like Chase and Tee, take time. People have no patience anymore. 

(03-17-2025, 09:28 AM)Synric Wrote: Big weight off the Front Office's shoulders now. Couple of massive contracts done.



... but this does NOT move the needle.

I classify it as protective. It keeps us very competitive for awhile. The WR group we don’t have to worry about for several years. They have to do better in the draft. This draft may be more important for next year. It may be a slight rebuild of defense. Hard to think if we lose Trey that things are a ton better this season. But as others have said I look for better OL coaching and defense coaching. 

(03-17-2025, 08:56 AM)ochocincos Wrote: Ok now sign Hendrickson to a 2-year new deal and get a RG so the Bengals can go into the draft with some flexibility.

Bengals REALLY have to draft and develop now.

No more Jackson Carmans, Billy Prices, John Rosses.

Have to get good, immediate contributors with at least 1st and 2nd round picks over these next few years.

I would say the positive to all this is, typically the 1st and 2nd round draft picks are spent on offense.  Whether that be WR, or potentially a QB by the majority of teams.   

However, we have our main 3 for the next 4 years as of now,  you can draft for the OL, you can draft all defense if you want, hell you can target a RB in the 2nd or 3rd round to really compliment Chase Brown.  I also love you have Yoshi who's making a name for himself as a WR3, and Jones at WR4...and if Burton can keep his ass straight him at WR5.  

I actually like being able to focus more on defense in the draft.  Draft a DT or DE in the 1st and 2nd round of the draft this year....target LB early.  

I just really like the signing and keeping your star players. 

(03-17-2025, 08:56 AM)ochocincos Wrote: Ok now sign Hendrickson to a 2-year new deal and get a RG so the Bengals can go into the draft with some flexibility.

Bengals REALLY have to draft and develop now.

No more Jackson Carmans, Billy Prices, John Rosses.

Have to get good, immediate contributors with at least 1st and 2nd round picks over these next few years.

Bingo

Stop drafting high round hopefuls, projects, taking a chance at what they might be guys. Draft as proven players as you can get.

So glad the wait is over with Chase and Higgins! 

(03-17-2025, 09:28 AM)Synric Wrote: Big weight off the Front Office's shoulders now. Couple of massive contracts done.



... but this does NOT move the needle.

It may not move the needle, but if these deals didn't get done, then there wouldn't be much of a needle to move for next few years (imo).

This certainly makes things feel a lot better. I wish it had gotten done sooner, but I ain't gonna complain. It's done. Now for the next moves.

(03-17-2025, 08:06 AM)BrownAssClown Wrote: Pick up a little protection for Joe Burrow in FA, load up on defense in the draft and pray.

 
Do you really need to pray though?  This defense minus the LB we lost in FA played some of it's best football in the last 8 games of the season last year.  

Lou FINALLY allowed some of the young kids to play.  Allowed the Battle to finally play in place of Bell which helped immensely. 

I think brining in new leadership will also help the defense.  

As long as Hendrickson is brought back, I think the defense is good enough to finish 10-15 ranked in the NFL but fresh additions never hurt and will only help in the long run. 

Florio is so salty this deal got done

Awesome that the front office got it done...

But its honestly INSANE what it took. Tee switching agents, Jamar and their agent basically strongholding the Bengals front office, Burrow speaking out publicly. I mean, sheeeeesh.

All fine and good, but there is still work left to get done. Give Trey an extension, sign a guard (or two), and maybe another plus defender.

Let's ride.

(03-17-2025, 09:17 AM)jj22 Wrote: Glad to finally get this behind us. Now maybe we can move on to actually improving the team if there is anything left. I know this may free up some cap but it's hard for me to think this FO would spend this kind of money and still add free agents.

These (and rightfully so given the money) can be sold to us as the big FA signings...

I think you can still pick up a potential FA OL or 2.  I think they'll be additions similar to Cody Ford last year. 

He was brought in a low 1 year contract and was able to get a 2nd contract.  

Personally, if they sign Hendrickson to an extension, I'm good with 4 high end free agents who happen to be on your own team. 

Myself I think being able to target RB and mostly defense during the draft will be a boost to this team to help increase the team speed on that side of the ball. 

I also dont think we're as bad defensively as some others on here.  I think the way the team is currently constructed with Hendrickson the defense could be ranked 10-15 in the NFL 

(03-17-2025, 01:24 AM)JaggedJimmyJay Wrote: The Bengals will have to serve as their own proof of concept, as they're now almost unprecedented in their QB-WR1-WR2 pay scale (the recent Dolphins are reasonably similar).

I believe these three players can be a Super Bowl core though. Be like the Peyton Manning Colts.

Burrow --> Manning
Chase --> Harrison
Higgins --> Wayne
Gesicki --> Clark (this one's a big reach of course)
Hendrickson --> Freeney (if they can take care of this one)

Obviously all five of these players have much to prove before they can be listed alongside those Colts, but as a model it's at least some kind of structural precedent. Those Colts also benefitted from cheap, effective draft picks like Bob Sanders and a vastly superior OL.

Have some better luck in the draft on the OL and across the defense, and everything is right there for you.

Nice comp!

(03-17-2025, 09:49 AM)TJ528 Wrote: I think you can still pick up a potential FA OL or 2.  I think they'll be additions similar to Cody Ford last year. 

He was brought in a low 1 year contract and was able to get a 2nd contract.  

Personally, if they sign Hendrickson to an extension, I'm good with 4 high end free agents who happen to be on your own team. 

Myself I think being able to target RB and mostly defense during the draft will be a boost to this team to help increase the team speed on that side of the ball. 

I also dont think we're as bad defensively as some others on here.  I think the way the team is currently constructed with Hendrickson the defense could be ranked 10-15 in the NFL 

They currently don't have a starting quality guard on the roster. They absolutely need to go out and sign AT LEAST one plus guard. 

(03-17-2025, 09:52 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: They currently don't have a starting quality guard on the roster. They absolutely need to go out and sign AT LEAST one plus guard. 

I mean we dont think they have a quality starting guard on the roster.  I have more faith in the new OL coach than I ever did the last one. 

I'm willing to be patient to see what else they do with this roster going into training camp.  

Hell we still have June 1st cuts coming up to I believe.  There's always cuts that teams make due to salary cap.  

(03-17-2025, 09:25 AM)Sled21 Wrote: See there, all the hand-wringing, whining and criticizing about Chase and Tee's contracts over the last month or so was for nothing. Next up is Trey.

Well, it is a fan discussion forum. But, it does turn out, unbeknownst to those fans pushing for it, trading Tee was never an option, as we now learn from Ja'Marr/Tee's agent that Chase wasn't going to sign a contract unless Tee had a contract. Those entire discussions were essentially forays into snipe hunting.

(03-17-2025, 10:04 AM)TJ528 Wrote: I mean we dont think they have a quality starting guard on the roster.  I have more faith in the new OL coach than I ever did the last one. 

I'm willing to be patient to see what else they do with this roster going into training camp.  

Hell we still have June 1st cuts coming up to I believe.  There's always cuts that teams make due to salary cap.  

We saw all of the guards on their current roster play last year. These are 3-4 year players we are talking about. They are who they are and they are BAD players, no offensive line coach is going to turn them around. 

They aren't servicable, they are BAD. Rolling them out there to start week 1 is a completely irrisponsible. 

(03-17-2025, 09:43 AM)Millhouse Wrote: It may not move the needle, but if these deals didn't get done, then there wouldn't be much of a needle to move for next few years (imo).

I think that's the point.

Is the team kind of in limbo right now with the current roster such that without really getting a boost from more/new talent, they just hover between 8-10 wins and maybe just get WC spots like the Dalton-era or Palmer-era Bengals?

While having Chase and Higgins obviously helps to not bottom out for 2026-2029, it doesn't really do much to improve the team from where it was last year.

If they don't hit on draft picks, we have to hope existing other players on the team really take the next steps to boost the overall performance of the team.
Burrow, Chase, Higgins, and Hendrickson are pretty much about as high as they can possibly go.

(03-17-2025, 10:06 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: We saw all of the guards on their current roster play last year. These are 3-4 year players we are talking about. They are who they are and they are BAD players, no offensive line coach is going to turn them around. 

They aren't servicable, they are BAD. Rolling them out there to start week 1 is a completely irrisponsible. 

Give me the following, Mims at RT, Karas at C, Ford at RG, and Orlando Brown at LT, and I can fill that other guard spot. 

My guess is you're looking at Kirkland being a potential RG, or even potentially Matt Lee if he can switch positions.  

There's talent on that OL IMO

(03-17-2025, 10:06 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: We saw all of the guards on their current roster play last year. These are 3-4 year players we are talking about. They are who they are and they are BAD players, no offensive line coach is going to turn them around. 

They aren't servicable, they are BAD. Rolling them out there to start week 1 is a completely irrisponsible. 

Agree 100%. 

The Tee/Chase deals are a relief. But also a year/week late and coslier because of the delay. Both in terms of the $$ and opportunity cost during FA. 

In my book, these deals bring us from a D to a C this offseason. Cannot go higher than C/C- with the situation at G still so poor and with Slaton our biggest outside FA. 

An "A" offseason would be a Burrow restructure + a Trey deal + Jenkins & Scherff to solidify guard + another impactful signing or two on D (DE Smith, DT Campbell, S Simmons or Blackmon, CB Gillmore or Hilton, etc). 

I seriously doubt we get into A territory,,but I coukd see a B/B- from here. Trey + 1 guard.