From this interview, It seemed like to me that he wanted to become a #1 receiver and not be in the shadow of A.J. Green.

"I want to be a great receiver in this league", that stuck out to me like he wants to be a #1 receiver and show he's a top receiver (to himself).

http://www.nfl.com/videos/cincinnati-bengals/0ap3000000632041/Marvin-Jones-on-Bengals-No-hometown-discount

I thought it was interesting... also... No hometown discount... I feel like a team will overpay for him because I have a feeling Bears will franchise/sign Alshon Jeffrey making MJ the #1 receiver out there in FA.

Cleveland will pay him number one money because he had 10 TD'S in 2013...lmao

As much as I like Marvin Jones, and would love for him to remain with the Bengals, I can't see the team paying him top tier money.  The abundance of WR talent around the league, and coming out of college each year, makes it easy to fill the WR2 spot at an affordable rate.

From reading the tea leaves from Hobson, Dhener, Jim, and lap I would say that he is the Bengals #1 priority. He is not going to get elite Wr money more like Torey Smith money and I think the Bengals will match it.

(02-04-2016, 12:09 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: As much as I like Marvin Jones, and would love for him to remain with the Bengals, I can't see the team paying him top tier money.  The abundance of WR talent around the league, and coming out of college each year, makes it easy to fill the WR2 spot at an affordable rate.

Yup. You could easily argue that MLJ is 3rd in the pecking order behind AJ and Eifert. I want to keep him, but not if it means paying him Michael Crabtree money (just signed for 4 years/34 million). It'd be way too much money invested at one position and to be frank, Marvin Jones isn't worth 8.5 per. Let him go somewhere else and flounder as a #1 option. Meanwhile, there's always excellent (and cheap) talent in the draft. Of course, if we lose MLJ I think we have to invest a high pick at WR or sign a FA. Any decent ones available? I think lots of WRs could shine in this offense.

Btw, the reason I bring up Crabtree is that he's basically the 1A option for the Raiders and was paid accordingly. MLJ doesn't play as big a role and thus does not deserve similar money.

Like MJ much but not sure he will become a superstar #1 NFL WR.

Definitely can see teams coming for him to find out though.

Hope he succeeds in his quest someday even if skeptical. After he helps bring Bengals a SB trophy that is.

(02-04-2016, 12:41 AM)J24 Wrote: From reading the tea leaves from Hobson, Dhener, Jim, and  lap I would say that he is the Bengals #1 priority.  He is not going to get elite Wr money more like Torey Smith money and I think the Bengals will match it.

Strange that Jones would be the #1 priority and Lapham is on record saying that Iloka is as good as gone.  I like Jones quite a bit as well, but if it comes down to one or the other, I'd guess that Iloka is more vital to the team's success.  The guy just doesn't give up touchdowns(which is what made the defense so good last year).  

Between Green and Eifert, those two can put up yards and cause explosive plays.  I'd love to see Jones return, but not if it means that other players like Iloka can't be kept.

(02-04-2016, 01:47 AM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Yup. You could easily argue that MLJ is 3rd in the pecking order behind AJ and Eifert. I want to keep him, but not if it means paying him Michael Crabtree money (just signed for 4 years/34 million). It'd be way too much money invested at one position and to be frank, Marvin Jones isn't worth 8.5 per. Let him go somewhere else and flounder as a #1 option. Meanwhile, there's always excellent (and cheap) talent in the draft. Of course, if we lose MLJ I think we have to invest a high pick at WR or sign a FA. Any decent ones available? I think lots of WRs could shine in this offense.

Btw, the reason I bring up Crabtree is that he's basically the 1A option for the Raiders and was paid accordingly. MLJ doesn't play as big a role and thus does not deserve similar money.

Agree with you and Sunset in that would like to keep him but it may not be feasible monetarily. Also that there is solid WR talent coming out of the draft these days that can be had cheaply and contribute early on.

As you pointed out it may force Bengals hand in needing to draft one high. This is why I hated drafting for future last year with two OL taken early knowing only 1 was really needed.  The defense needs to be maintained with some early picks eventually or we will be sorry one day soon. 

I don't read a lot into someone saying they want to be great. I'd be much more shocked if he said, "Yeah, I'm ok with being the 3rd string guy who isn't paid as much as people who are worse than me"
They all want to be great so that's not a big shock and hometown discount? That's even more absurd. It's not as if he grew up in Cincinnati and his great great grandpappy grew up there.. I hope he stays, but if someone else wants to pay him a gazillion bucks more power to him.

(02-04-2016, 01:54 AM)Bilbo Saggins Wrote: Strange that Jones would be the #1 priority and Lapham is on record saying that Iloka is as good as gone.  I like Jones quite a bit as well, but if it comes down to one or the other, I'd guess that Iloka is more vital to the team's success.  The guy just doesn't give up touchdowns(which is what made the defense so good last year).  

Between Green and Eifert, those two can put up yards and cause explosive plays.  I'd love to see Jones return, but not if it means that other players like Iloka can't be kept.

I agree with that but I think there is enough money to go around to keep both Jones and Iloka. We have 38 million in cap space so  signing our two guys shouldn't be that hard of a thing to do. The rest of our free agents are old or just bit players that can be replaced if need be.

(02-04-2016, 02:00 AM)Go Cards Wrote: Agree with you and Sunset in that would like to keep him but it may not be feasible monetarily. Also that there is solid WR talent coming out of the draft these days that can be had cheaply and contribute early on.

As you pointed out it may force Bengals hand in needing to draft one high. This is why I hated drafting for future last year with two OL taken early knowing only 1 was really needed.  The defense needs to be maintained with some early picks eventually or we will be sorry one day soon. 

Agree with both of you. We could take a risk on Malcomb Mitchell out of UGa. He could be had in the 4th easily, and maybe even the 5th. Again, I know it would be a gamble.

Quote:Entering the 2013 season, Mitchell topped my list of Georgia's top prospects. Recurring knee injuries, including a torn ACL suffered in the season-opener against Clemson and a separate injury that forced new surgery on July 31, however, very much has his stock in flux.


When healthy, Mitchell has shown flashes of superstardom. Over his first two years in the program, he has spent time at wide receiver, cornerback, kick returner and punt returner and has been described as Georgia's most dynamic and versatile weapon since Champ Bailey.

COMPARES TO: AJ Green, Wide Receiver, Cincinnati Bengals - Mitchell's combination of size and elite athleticism remind many of another former Georgia standout in Green, who has gone on to be one of the NFL's best at the position. Mitchell will need to show rapid improvement as a route-runner though, considering his late start as a fully-committed wide receiver.

Houshmandzadeh tried to become a number 1 wide receiver and didn't fare too well because he had a real number 1 playing beside him in Cincy. Marvin Jones has earned a pay raise for sure, and I dont blame him if he chases a big payday. However, I think that if he took a smaller contract to play here his career would last longer and it would be for the better.

(02-04-2016, 12:09 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: As much as I like Marvin Jones, and would love for him to remain with the Bengals, I can't see the team paying him top tier money.  The abundance of WR talent around the league, and coming out of college each year, makes it easy to fill the WR2 spot at an affordable rate.

And they shouldn't pay him top tier money, or even upper tier money, for that exact reason you listed. Too many good WRs each year. Marvin Jones is statistically pretty close to Jerome Simpson.

Jones' contract year: 65 / 816 / 4
Simpson's contract year: 50 / 725 / 4

Not exactly the same, obviously, but nobody ever said Simpson was irreplaceable. I also think it's noteworthy that Simpson's best year came when he got to play as the #2 behind AJ Green, something any WR will benefit from. He went to Minnesota and his #1 became Percy Harvin. Predictable results ensued. That would apply to Marvin Jones too.

He will never be more than a solid #2 WR.

I like him, but he is injury prone and not the biggest WR either.

Question is, if we can't re-sign him, do we go with a WR in the 1st or 2nd round of the draft?

(02-04-2016, 04:26 AM)magikod Wrote: He will never be more than a solid #2 WR.

I like him, but he is injury prone and not the biggest WR either.

Question is, if we can't re-sign him, do we go with a WR in the 1st or 2nd round of the draft?

I've vote 2nd or 3rd, and then sign Anquan Boldin. AJ Green, Anquan Boldin, Draft Pick WR, Tyler Eifert, Giovani Bernard. QBs have won Super Bowls with less/worse passing targets than that.

Boldin can still ball, wouldn't likely require big money, and would give the Bengals a possession-type receiver who aggressively goes after and fights for the ball and move the chains on third down that they haven't had since Housh left. Boldin fighting for jumpballs is what got Flacco that ridiculous contract, and the Ravens the SB trophy. So we also know he won't vanish in the playoffs.

In 16 playoff games he's played in, he has put up 63 / 1,119 / 9

Not shabby.

(02-04-2016, 01:50 AM)Go Cards Wrote: Like MJ much but not sure he will become a superstar #1 NFL WR.  

Definitely can see teams coming for him to find out though.

Hope he succeeds in his quest someday even if skeptical. After he helps bring Bengals a SB trophy that is.

He should learn from TJ Houshmanzedah (sp?)....He became debatable as to who was the "real" #1 WR on this team (it was Chad), but he was given so many opportunities because of the attention paid to Chad and even Chris Henry taking the proverbial top off the defense.

If you want to be a star, play like one.  There are no plays off (not saying he takes them) and you make the most out of the opportunities you receive and you can be a star in this league. Even with a really fat contract placed in front of him, I would hope he would learn from a guy like Mike Wallace, who never saw all of the huge contract Miami paid him and he wasn't nearly as big a threat without the surrounding cast he had in that assbag town.  

Here, he has AJ Green and Tyler Eifert drawing coverage away from him.  I was a little surprised at the lack of the screen game to Marvin that he worked so well before his injury.  It would seem that if you had AJ and Eifert on the opposite side of the line that a quick screen to MLJ could work very well.  

I really hope he is back with another year past his injury.  But, as so many have said, not at Crabtree money.  

Things that will effect the market for wrs: shallow free agent market and shallow draft class. Bad combo.

(02-04-2016, 02:07 AM)J24 Wrote: I agree with that but I think there is enough money to go around to keep both Jones and Iloka. We have 38 million in cap space so  signing our two guys shouldn't be that hard of a thing to do. The rest of our free agents are old or just bit players that can be replaced if need be.

I agree as well, there shouldn't be a problem resigning them..

But, from that interview it just seemed to me personally that he wants to leave and he wants to start somewhere new.. Oh well idk.

(02-04-2016, 12:04 AM)milksheikh Wrote: From this interview, It seemed like to me that he wanted to become a #1 receiver and not be in the shadow of A.J. Green.

"I want to be a great receiver in this league", that stuck out to me like he wants to be a #1 receiver and show he's a top receiver (to himself).

http://www.nfl.com/videos/cincinnati-bengals/0ap3000000632041/Marvin-Jones-on-Bengals-No-hometown-discount

I thought it was interesting... also... No hometown discount... I feel like a team will overpay for him because I have a feeling Bears will franchise/sign Alshon Jeffrey making MJ the #1 receiver out there in FA.

I hope he stays, but if he leaves, I hope he gets a boatload of money so we get a 3rd or 4th round compensary pick in return. He was drafted in round 5 so we would have had years of production and got a higher value pick when all was said and done.

We may be getting a lot of extra picks in the 2017 draft if we lose a bunch of these guys.

I think he walks, as I have been saying for a while someone will pay him as a low end WR1. With Calvin retiring in Detroit that immediately jumps out as a location to me he could go. I could also see Cleveland, especially if Gordon doesn't get reinstated. The other interesting one could be Baltimore. They drafted Perriman who didn't play a down and they have Smith who MAY have one more year left in him. The Chargers are an interesting location as Allen is more of an underneath guy, and they need weapons for Rivers to make one more run, so someone like Jones who can take the top off could be big. Add in Marvin's Cali roots and the Chargers could be a sleeper destination for him.

I really don't think Sanu is a bad consolation prize. I think we keep him at a reasonable cost, draft a mid round guy who takes the top off and move on. Remember lots of really good WRs get drafted between 3rd and 5th rounds.