Franchise tag is worth $17.8 million for AJ

(03-16-2020, 01:13 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: I realize all that, but the fact is that AJ being sidelined so much recently (regardless of the types of injuries) isn't making Bengals a better team. I feel like, from an investment perspective, they really need to see how he fares this season before working on a new deal. 

They need to at least see him running routes and looking good while doing so.

I remember Lap saying he looked great late last season so I bet he is 100% right now but who knows?

(03-16-2020, 01:13 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: I realize all that, but the fact is that AJ being sidelined so much recently (regardless of the types of injuries) isn't making Bengals a better team. I feel like, from an investment perspective, they really need to see how he fares this season before working on a new deal. 

Understood which is one reason I would prefer they spend a little extra on Amari Cooper. But, Cooper most likely would have sustained the same injury given the mechanism of injury. That was just bad luck.

With free agency starting in a few days, this is a move to keep AJ and his agent from testing the market, yet I don't believe any other team in the league would give Green 17-18 next season. It's most likely a move to get AJ and his agent to the table to hammer out a long term deal, I just can't see AJ playing with the tag on him this fall, we shall see.

(03-16-2020, 01:54 PM)BrownAssClown Wrote: With free agency starting in a few days, this is a move to keep AJ and his agent from testing the market, yet I don't believe any other team in the league would give Green 17-18 next season. It's most likely a move to get AJ and his agent to the table to hammer out a long term deal, I just can't see AJ playing with the tag on him this fall, we shall see.

AJ already said he would play if tagged, but might not participate in offseason activities.

(03-16-2020, 01:54 PM)BrownAssClown Wrote:  I just can't see AJ playing with the tag on him this fall, we shall see.

He has no choice.  

Even if he sits out the entire season no team is going to give him a better deal next year.  In 2021 he will be 33 and not have played in 3 years.

(03-16-2020, 12:22 PM)TecmoBengals Wrote: Not surprising, let's hope he actually plays a full season so Burrow has one hell of a target to throw to.

This is why I am 100% behind drafting a WR with our 2nd pick.  They need a versatile WR that could fill in for AJ if he doesn't play.  I also think Green's ego would kick in and he would step up to prove his worth over a draft pick, but I sure like the idea of a Tee Higgins (or even a Chase Claypool?) to boost the receiving corps should Green not be available.  

(03-16-2020, 02:22 PM)SHRacerX Wrote: This is why I am 100% behind drafting a WR with our 2nd pick.  They need a versatile WR that could fill in for AJ if he doesn't play.  I also think Green's ego would kick in and he would step up to prove his worth over a draft pick, but I sure like the idea of a Tee Higgins (or even a Chase Claypool?) to boost the receiving corps should Green not be available.  

Good point there, I've been going back and forth with that one myself.
But, I'm more inclined to find a replacement for Ross. The chances are slim that we'll be re-signing him again.
And, the type of WR I hope they get is either a lot of speed (Since Boyd, AJ & Tate) are not burners.
They need speed on this team to create fear in secondaries. When Ross is healthy, he at least does that for them.

I'm hoping that teams value the deep class of WR's and pick different positions at the top of the draft, knowing that they can get a good one all the way into the 4th, 5th rounds this year.

And, a guy like Burrow's buddy, Jefferson, drops to them at #33. That would kill two birds with one stone as you get a burner, and he has a great relationship already with Burrow.

(03-16-2020, 02:22 PM)fredtoast Wrote: He has no choice.  

Even if he sits out the entire season no team is going to give him a better deal next year.  In 2021 he will be 33 and not have played in 3 years.

Not saying he will not play, he will, but I imagine the front office wants a happy AJ, not a disgruntled one. If they can't come to a new agreement ,AJ will play under the tag. I don't think the FO wants that and I KNOW AJ doesn't want that.

(03-16-2020, 02:22 PM)SHRacerX Wrote: This is why I am 100% behind drafting a WR with our 2nd pick.  They need a versatile WR that could fill in for AJ if he doesn't play.  I also think Green's ego would kick in and he would step up to prove his worth over a draft pick, but I sure like the idea of a Tee Higgins (or even a Chase Claypool?) to boost the receiving corps should Green not be available.  

Definitely not against drafting a WR at 33 but I sure hope they take care of LB at the very least in FA. Very deep Draft for WR
and interior O-line, not very deep at Linebacker or OT even though I am seeing Jon Runyan falling all the way to the 7th round
in mocks I don't think this is realistic at all.

Tons of great Receivers in this Draft, Laviska Shenault, Denzel Mims, Aiyuk, Pittman etc.

(03-16-2020, 02:30 PM)JerseyDD09 Wrote: Good point there, I've been going back and forth with that one myself.
But, I'm more inclined to find a replacement for Ross. The chances are slim that we'll be re-signing him again.
And, the type of WR I hope they get is either a lot of speed (Since Boyd, AJ & Tate) are not burners.
They need speed on this team to create fear in secondaries. When Ross is healthy, he at least does that for them.

I'm hoping that teams value the deep class of WR's and pick different positions at the top of the draft, knowing that they can get a good one all the way into the 4th, 5th rounds this year.

And, a guy like Burrow's buddy, Jefferson, drops to them at #33. That would kill two birds with one stone as you get a burner, and he has a great relationship already with Burrow.

Yeah, would like speed. As much as I liked Ross in college and when he is healthy he still is inconsistent and cannot stay healthy.

(03-16-2020, 02:33 PM)BrownAssClown Wrote: Not saying he will not play, he will, but I imagine the front office wants a happy AJ, not a disgruntled one. If they can't come to a new agreement ,AJ will play under the tag. I don't think the FO wants that and I KNOW AJ doesn't want that.

No player in the NFL wants to play under the tag, but it happens all the time.

Green may not like it but he really can't complain given the fact that he will be 32 and could not even play last year.  If he was young and coming off a 1000 yard season then he would have plenty of reason to complain about not getting  paid because he might get a big long term deal from another team.  But he will sound like the ultimate spoiled diva if he complains about playing under the tag in 2020 at his age after having only one reception in his last 24 games.

(03-16-2020, 02:22 PM)SHRacerX Wrote: This is why I am 100% behind drafting a WR with our 2nd pick.  They need a versatile WR that could fill in for AJ if he doesn't play.  I also think Green's ego would kick in and he would step up to prove his worth over a draft pick, but I sure like the idea of a Tee Higgins (or even a Chase Claypool?) to boost the receiving corps should Green not be available.  

Remember when David Klingler had his jaw broken and Ki-Jana Carter tore his ACL during the same pre-season game because the offensive line sucked?

If they are going to protect their investment in Joe Burrow I hope they invest in protecting him. They can’t fix everything they need to with just 7 draft picks. If they don’t do better with free agency, I’d rather see them draft offensive linemen this year and try to fix the other stuff next year.

(03-16-2020, 02:48 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: Remember when David Klingler had his jaw broken and Ki-Jana Carter tore his ACL during the same pre-season game because the offensive line sucked?

If they are going to protect their investment in Joe Burrow I hope they invest in protecting him. They can’t fix everything they need to with just 7 draft picks. If they don’t do better with free agency, I’d rather see them draft offensive linemen this year and try to fix the other stuff next year.

I agree, OL and LB would be my preference in FA. I would honestly prefer Conklin in FA over anyone else and get a LB.

Simply cause the Draft is not deep at either of these positions. Very deep at WR and interior OL.

(03-16-2020, 02:43 PM)fredtoast Wrote: No player in the NFL wants to play under the tag, but it happens all the time.

Green may not like it but he really can't complain given the fact that he will be 32 and could not even play last year.  If he was young and coming off a 1000 yard season then he would have plenty of reason to complain about not getting  paid because he might get a big long term deal from another team.  But he will sound like the ultimate spoiled diva if he complains about playing under the tag in 2020 at his age after having only one reception in his last 24 games.

Green has already stated that if he was tagged he would only show up when he had to, but he understands, "it's a business." I understand and agree that Green has no right to complain given his current production and age. The Bengals must want to keep AJ for at least one more season, most likely longer or they would've let him test free agency in 3 days. The Bengals by tagging Green buys them more time to get a deal done without having to compete with other teams vying for his services and by some chance they cannot get a new deal done, AJ is guaranteed to be here next season whether he likes it or not. Again I agree that AJ has no right to complain being tagged and guaranteed roughly $18 million, but most players seem to think being 'Tagged" is a slap in the face, we should all be so lucky.

(03-16-2020, 02:55 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: I agree, OL and LB would be my preference in FA. I would honestly prefer Conklin in FA over anyone else and get a LB.

Simply cause the Draft is not deep at either of these positions. Very deep at WR and interior OL.

LBer is one position they have invested in with free agency. But, overall the results haven’t been that great because of the quality of player they usually target. And that’s based upon money. The last time I looked at the LBer FA class there weren’t many names I’d like to play for the Bengals. And the ones I did like are probably going to receive more than I think they’re probably worth. Seems like this is not a good year to need LBer help.

They are some Olinemen that will probably get top 10 money for their position that I would probably sign. Conklin is one of them.

(03-16-2020, 03:16 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: LBer is one position they have invested in with free agency. But, overall the results haven’t been that great because of the quality of player they usually target. And that’s based upon money. The last time I looked at the LBer FA class there weren’t many names I’d like to play for the Bengals. And the ones I did like are probably going to receive more than I think they’re probably worth. Seems like this is not a good year to need LBer help.

They are some Olinemen that will probably get top 10 money for their position that I would probably sign. Conklin is one of them.

We will see how this new coaching staff evaluates Linebackers. Under Marv I always thought they made questionable picks
and moves at Linebacker, they had to get lucky and get UDFA's like Burfict and Vinny Rey. At least last year Zac and company
drafted a good one in Pratt, more than I can say for Marv's picks.

It would be worth it to give an O-lineman top 10 money IMO. Jonah is still on his rookie deal and we need to protect Burrow.

(03-16-2020, 02:55 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: I agree, OL and LB would be my preference in FA. I would honestly prefer Conklin in FA over anyone else and get a LB.

Simply cause the Draft is not deep at either of these positions. Very deep at WR and interior OL.

I don't think that they should be shelling out the largest LT contract IN HISTORY for Conklin which is what he'll command.
As much as I hate to say this and agree with Fred on this subject, Hart didn't have that bad of a year last year and he's only 24/25 years old.
He gave up 6 sacks (and, I'd love to see how many it would have been with Burrow back there. He's much more elusive than Dalton it seems.). Dalton has always been a deer in headlights anytime he gets pressure, and then he would just chuck it out of bounds. No more of that!!!
And, we've got Jonah on the other side which I'm sure he'll be more than adequate on.
If anything, we need a Left Guard.
Center and Right Guard are adequate right now as well if they had to start tomorrow.
According to draft gurus, the player to pick in the 30's range would be Ruiz C/G. I'm sorry, drafting for need over talent should be a thing of the past. I'd take best WR at #2 pick like Jefferson anyday over top Center/Guard Ruiz. You can find one comparable in Round 3/4/5 but you can't find a Jefferson at that range.

(03-16-2020, 03:25 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: We will see how this new coaching staff evaluates Linebackers. Under Marv I always thought they made questionable picks
and moves at Linebacker, they had to get lucky and get UDFA's like Burfict and Vinny Rey. At least last year Zac and company
drafted a good one in Pratt, more than I can say for Marv's picks.

It would be worth it to give an O-lineman top 10 money IMO. Jonah is still on his rookie deal and we need to protect Burrow.

I wouldn’t mind a trade and re-sign for Trent Williams for a late round pick, but his contract would probably be the highest for LTs. But, I’m okay with that because he will only be the highest paid at his position for one year and the Bengals could afford that with Joe Burrow on a rookie deal. With Williams at LT, Williams at RT, they Bengals can get a good LBer 33 hopefully and still upgrade the interior O line later in the draft.

(03-16-2020, 03:51 PM)JerseyDD09 Wrote: I don't think that they should be shelling out the largest LT contract IN HISTORY for Conklin which is what he'll command.
As much as I hate to say this and agree with Fred on this subject, Hart didn't have that bad of a year last year and he's only 24/25 years old.
He gave up 6 sacks (and, I'd love to see how many it would have been with Burrow back there. He's much more elusive than Dalton it seems.). Dalton has always been a deer in headlights anytime he gets pressure, and then he would just chuck it out of bounds. No more of that!!!
And, we've got Jonah on the other side which I'm sure he'll be more than adequate on.
If anything, we need a Left Guard.
Center and Right Guard are adequate right now as well if they had to start tomorrow.
According to draft gurus, the player to pick in the 30's range would be Ruiz C/G. I'm sorry, drafting for need over talent should be a thing of the past. I'd take best WR at #2 pick like Jefferson anyday over top Center/Guard Ruiz. You can find one comparable in Round 3/4/5 but you can't find a Jefferson at that range.

Jefferson, just like Ross, isn’t of much use if the QB doesn’t have time to throw. And Mixon can’t run the ball effectively if he is forced to make his first cut in the backfield due to poor blocking.

(03-16-2020, 01:54 PM)BrownAssClown Wrote: With free agency starting in a few days, this is a move to keep AJ and his agent from testing the market, yet I don't believe any other team in the league would give Green 17-18 next season. It's most likely a move to get AJ and his agent to the table to hammer out a long term deal, I just can't see AJ playing with the tag on him this fall, we shall see.

Yeah, somebody would.  The amount teams overpay in free agency is ridiculous