I know we've talked about signing Thuney on here because of what it would do to help solidify our line and give Burrow some protection, as well as give us some draft flexibility, but now ProFootballFocus is predicting that we sign him!

They have us signing him for four years for 57 million with 35 of it guaranteed:

Quote:It’s no secret that Cincinnati’s offensive line has been among the worst in the NFL for quite some time now — they have ranked in the bottom five in PFF grade in each of the last four years. Last season, they came in at No. 30 in combined offensive line PFF grade.

Left tackle Jonah Williams and center Trey Hopkins performed quite well relative to their counterparts, but the rest of the line was a downright liability. And following the season-ending injury to Joe Burrow last year, they know they can’t afford to ignore the line in free agency.

They have the cap space to make a massive move in free agency to address that fact, and Thuney — who grew up just outside the Cincinnati area — could well be that big signing. Thuney ranks sixth among left guards in PFF grade since entering the league in 2016. He also has never ranked lower than 13th in a single season among all guards in WAR generated.

Tackle is usually seen as the more important position on the offensive line, but Burrow needs protection up front so he can step into throws with confidence, especially coming off injury.

There's more in the article, including pointing out that Thuney likes Skyline, which seals the deal for me!



SIGN HIM!

(02-20-2021, 12:07 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: I know we've talked about signing Thuney on here because of what it would do to help solidify our line and give Burrow some protection, as well as give us some draft flexibility, but now ProFootballFocus is predicting that we sign him!

They have us signing him for four years for 57 million with 35 of it guaranteed:


Tackle is usually seen as the more important position on the offensive line, but Burrow needs protection up front so he can step into throws with confidence, especially coming off injury.

There's more in the article, including pointing out that Thuney likes Skyline, which seals the deal for me!  



SIGN HIM!

Also, the guy already has the Superbowls under his belt so now its all fun and gravy ....makes alot of sense from all angles and Joe B reminds us of TB 12 at times, Thuney is used to that kind of QB.  

I'll believe it when I see it, but I am hoping that we prioritize the guard position for the first time in a long time.

(02-20-2021, 12:24 PM)kalibengal Wrote: Also, the guy already has the Superbowls under his belt so now its all fun and gravy ....makes alot of sense from all angles and Joe B reminds us of TB 12 at times, Thuney is used to that kind of QB.  

Your point on SB makes me believe he will sign with a contender even if it less $$ than a team in a total rebuild mode... i think that will be the issue for some FA players...

(02-20-2021, 03:18 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: Your point on SB makes me believe he will sign with a contender even if it less $$ than a team in a total rebuild mode... i think that will be the issue for some FA players...

Nah, He is taking the most money. He already has the chip....

Thuney definitely makes sense with his ties to Cincy but I think we could get a younger player like Moton for cheaper
and get rid of Hart's contract while bringing in a Center like Mack and draft a Guard like Mienerz in the mid rounds.

I think out of Spain and XSF we can get a quality Guard once they get Pollack's system down.

Jonah - Spain - Mack - Meinerz/XSF - Moton

(02-20-2021, 04:23 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Thuney definitely makes sense with his ties to Cincy but I think we could get a younger player like Moton for cheaper
and get rid of Hart's contract while bringing in a Center like Mack and draft a Guard like Mienerz in the mid rounds.

I think out of Spain and XSF we can get a quality Guard once they get Pollack's system down.

Jonah - Spain - Mack - Meinerz/XSF - Moton

Moton is getting tagged.  Hopefully part of justifying paying top guard money is utilizing Thuney's versatility if needed.  I basically like your scenario especially with Mack being a zone blocker and band aid.  I just think it's more likely it's Thuney for the pay day and local ties and drafting tackle rather than guard.

Ideally they fit a guy like Wagner in at RT, but with so much to do on the OL it's a win if we only have one OL spot to fill going into the draft.  Drafting a RT by the 3rd rd and sliding Thuney over if the rookie doesn't preform could be a reality.  Spain can be retained cheap and he and XSF provide actual depth if Thuney moves or regarding injury.  

(02-20-2021, 04:40 PM)phil413 Wrote: Moton is getting tagged.  Hopefully part of justifying paying too guard money is utilizing Thuney's versatility if needed.  I basically like your scenario especially with Mack being a zone blocker and band aid.  I just think it's more likely it's Thuney for the pay day and local ties and drafting tackle rather than guard.

Ideally they fit a guy like Wagner in at RT, but with so much to do on the OL it's a win if we only have one OL spot to fill going into the draft.  Drafting a RT by the 3rd rd and sliding Thuney over if the rookie doesn't preform could be a reality.  Spain can be retained cheap and he and XSF provide actual depth if Thuney moves or regarding injury.  

Yeah, just saw that about Moton, sucks he was the guy I wanted.

All for what you say here too Phil. Center is being overlooked around here. Price has sucked and Hop is coming off injury.

Bring in Mack and Daryl Williams/Wagner and I would be a happy Bengal fan.

(02-20-2021, 04:48 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Yeah, just saw that about Moton, sucks he was the guy I wanted.

All for what you say here too Phil. Center is being overlooked around here. Price has sucked and Hop is coming off injury.

Bring in Mack and Daryl Williams/Wagner and I would be a happy Bengal fan.

Sign Thuney
Sign Linsley
Draft Sewell 5th overall (Jonah to RT)
Draft Trey Hill 38th overall and move him to RG with plans for him to move back to C in 3-ish years.

Burrow now has 4 seconds to throw every down and you don't have to think about the OL again for 4 years. They have been dicking around with a shitty OL for 4 years now. Time to finally fix it and turn it into a strength.

I have known the whole Thuney family very well for the last (roughly) 5 years and have met Joe a handful of times when he has been back in town. I have some insight on this....

Super nice guy (his favorite sport is soccer) and a wonderful family. Back in Jan I was speaking to his mother and, without giving away too much, would say that Joe would definitely listen to the Bengals, but they would have to come to the table with a competitive offer. The family travels to every game to support Joe (with the exception of most games this year because of COVID) and they would love to have him back home in SW Ohio. Nothing would make them happier, but this is Joe's job and his money that he is earning. They support whatever he does 100%!

I don't believe he loved it in NE. Very very business like there. A stale and cold organization, I would say, is the impression I got from conversations with the family. I would think he would be looking for a 3 year deal. 4 would surprise me. 5 would shock me. Not sure what the Bengals are going to be looking for in terms of length of deal and if that would be a deal breaker of not. The NFL is a job and it wears on people. I'm not sure it's fun for linemen like it was in college or high school. I don't see Joe playing far into his 30s. He's a very mature, grown up kid.

Something that was said to me is that, when he was drafted, Joe's agent told him that dealing with the Bengals was not where they wanted to be and that they were notoriously cheap and not like other teams in negotiations. The agent told the family that the Bengals would not be a team to be excited about getting drafted by from a business perspective. That was 2016. I think/hope the FO has changed a lot since then. We shall see!

I also deal with the same firm that does the Brown family taxes. In a meeting two weeks ago I was told, while talking football during a break in a meeting, that Mike Brown, due to health and other things, has all but stepped away completely and that Katie and Troy basically run everything now. That is why we are seeing some more progressive things introduced into the organization with FAs, ticket incentives, and social media modernization. Again, without giving away too much, it would seem to reason that Katie & Troy have had a lot of their own ideas planned for a long time and are finally getting to implement them without obstruction. Hopefully they get things done with Joe!

BTW, Katie Blackburn is a class act person and an incredibly normal human being (in a good way) for being an NFL owner. At season ticket events she is there in person, personable to speak to, and even holds doors open as fans come while she greats them. SHe's someone that would hold the elevator door open for you. I'm extremely excited for the Bengals future with her at the helm.

Something interesting to think about with Katie's arch into ownership is that she saw all of Mike's struggles at QB when he took over. It was awful. I think that she sees Joe Burrow as a gift her father never got when starting to run the team. I don't see her squandering this.

Joe Thuney as a Bengal would be amazing for the area, the team, and the family. They are all first class people. Hope it happens! IMO, the Bengals cannot overpay for O linemen. As in: It would be impossible to do so. They should pay whatever it takes to get premium, proven O Line talent in front of Joey B.

Id like to sign Guard Will Hernandez from the Giants.. He was good he's young. I think Pollack could get the best out of him.

(02-20-2021, 03:35 PM)Tony Wrote: Nah, He is taking the most money. He already has the chip....

we will see, also if Dallas or Texans go after him, they have a financial advantage with the ability to structure taxes to offer more.. not sure of their cap issues though

(02-20-2021, 07:47 PM)PDub80 Wrote: I have known the whole Thuney family very well for the last (roughly) 5 years and have met Joe a handful of times when he has been back in town. I have some insight on this....

Super nice guy (his favorite sport is soccer) and a wonderful family. Back in Jan I was speaking to his mother and, without giving away too much, would say that Joe would definitely listen to the Bengals, but they would have to come to the table with a competitive offer. The family travels to every game to support Joe (with the exception of most games this year because of COVID) and they would love to have him back home in SW Ohio. Nothing would make them happier, but this is Joe's job and his money that he is earning. They support whatever he does 100%!

I don't believe he loved it in NE. Very very business like there. A stale and cold organization, I would say, is the impression I got from conversations with the family. I would think he would be looking for a 3 year deal. 4 would surprise me. 5 would shock me. Not sure what the Bengals are going to be looking for in terms of length of deal and if that would be a deal breaker of not. The NFL is a job and it wears on people. I'm not sure it's fun for linemen like it was in college or high school. I don't see Joe playing far into his 30s. He's a very mature, grown up kid.

Something that was said to me is that, when he was drafted, Joe's agent told him that dealing with the Bengals was not where they wanted to be and that they were notoriously cheap and not like other teams in negotiations. The agent told the family that the Bengals would not be a team to be excited about getting drafted by from a business perspective. That was 2016. I think/hope the FO has changed a lot since then. We shall see!

I also deal with the same firm that does the Brown family taxes. In a meeting two weeks ago I was told, while talking football during a break in a meeting, that Mike Brown, due to health and other things, has all but stepped away completely and that Katie and Troy basically run everything now. That is why we are seeing some more progressive things introduced into the organization with FAs, ticket incentives, and social media modernization. Again, without giving away too much, it would seem to reason that Katie & Troy have had a lot of their own ideas planned for a long time and are finally getting to implement them without obstruction. Hopefully they get things done with Joe!

BTW, Katie Blackburn is a class act person and an incredibly normal human being (in a good way) for being an NFL owner. At season ticket events she is there in person, personable to speak to, and even holds doors open as fans come while she greats them. SHe's someone that would hold the elevator door open for you. I'm extremely excited for the Bengals future with her at the helm.

Something interesting to think about with Katie's arch into ownership is that she saw all of Mike's struggles at QB when he took over. It was awful. I think that she sees Joe Burrow as a gift her father never got when starting to run the team. I don't see her squandering this.

Joe Thuney as a Bengal would be amazing for the area, the team, and the family. They are all first class people. Hope it happens! IMO, the Bengals cannot overpay for O linemen. As in: It would be impossible to do so. They should pay whatever it takes to get premium, proven O Line talent in front of Joey B.

Nice story.. I would be concerned about just a 3 year deal, we are rebuilding and sure looks like would be year 3 before we can become really competitive.. then we might have a big hole to fill with his contract up and maybe retire etc.. hope we can sign him to a 4 year deal if it all works out

If we sign Thuney for four years at almost $60 million, I'll be shocked.

I mean, we knew we needed linemen last season and our answer was XSF (who I thought was a good signing) at like $3 million a year.

(02-20-2021, 07:47 PM)PDub80 Wrote: I have known the whole Thuney family very well for the last (roughly) 5 years and have met Joe a handful of times when he has been back in town. I have some insight on this....

Super nice guy (his favorite sport is soccer) and a wonderful family. Back in Jan I was speaking to his mother and, without giving away too much, would say that Joe would definitely listen to the Bengals, but they would have to come to the table with a competitive offer. The family travels to every game to support Joe (with the exception of most games this year because of COVID) and they would love to have him back home in SW Ohio. Nothing would make them happier, but this is Joe's job and his money that he is earning. They support whatever he does 100%!

I don't believe he loved it in NE. Very very business like there. A stale and cold organization, I would say, is the impression I got from conversations with the family. I would think he would be looking for a 3 year deal. 4 would surprise me. 5 would shock me. Not sure what the Bengals are going to be looking for in terms of length of deal and if that would be a deal breaker of not. The NFL is a job and it wears on people. I'm not sure it's fun for linemen like it was in college or high school. I don't see Joe playing far into his 30s. He's a very mature, grown up kid.

Something that was said to me is that, when he was drafted, Joe's agent told him that dealing with the Bengals was not where they wanted to be and that they were notoriously cheap and not like other teams in negotiations. The agent told the family that the Bengals would not be a team to be excited about getting drafted by from a business perspective. That was 2016. I think/hope the FO has changed a lot since then. We shall see!

I also deal with the same firm that does the Brown family taxes. In a meeting two weeks ago I was told, while talking football during a break in a meeting, that Mike Brown, due to health and other things, has all but stepped away completely and that Katie and Troy basically run everything now. That is why we are seeing some more progressive things introduced into the organization with FAs, ticket incentives, and social media modernization. Again, without giving away too much, it would seem to reason that Katie & Troy have had a lot of their own ideas planned for a long time and are finally getting to implement them without obstruction. Hopefully they get things done with Joe!

BTW, Katie Blackburn is a class act person and an incredibly normal human being (in a good way) for being an NFL owner. At season ticket events she is there in person, personable to speak to, and even holds doors open as fans come while she greats them. SHe's someone that would hold the elevator door open for you. I'm extremely excited for the Bengals future with her at the helm.

Something interesting to think about with Katie's arch into ownership is that she saw all of Mike's struggles at QB when he took over. It was awful. I think that she sees Joe Burrow as a gift her father never got when starting to run the team. I don't see her squandering this.

Joe Thuney as a Bengal would be amazing for the area, the team, and the family. They are all first class people. Hope it happens! IMO, the Bengals cannot overpay for O linemen. As in: It would be impossible to do so. They should pay whatever it takes to get premium, proven O Line talent in front of Joey B.

If an agent said that, fire him. The rookie pool is already established since 2011 so from a pay standpoint all rookie contracts are slotted. So something vert fishy about the bolded area of your post. Makes zero sense since 2011.

(02-20-2021, 08:06 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: Nice story.. I would be concerned about just a 3 year deal, we are rebuilding and sure looks like would be year 3 before we can become really competitive.. then we might have a big hole to fill with his contract up and maybe retire etc.. hope we can sign him to a 4 year deal if it all works out

That was my only thing on the 3 years as well. The Bengals may be wanting 4 or 5 years on a bigger money deal. I would think 1 more year added onto a deal at XYZ money, to play at home, etc would not be hateful. Now, 5 years? That would be a shocker to me.

(02-20-2021, 08:38 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: If and agent said that, fire him. The rookie pool is already established since 2011 so from a pay standpoint all rookie contracts are slotted. So something vert fishy about the bolded area of your post. Makes zero sense since 2011.

I took it as meaning longevity/contracts in the sense of resigning after the rookie deal. Like, to remain with one club over the course of a career. With the Bengals historically not paying guards and interior linemen, I understood what was maybe being conveyed as: When the second contract comes around and it's time to make the bigger money in a 2nd contract, the Bengals would be tougher to deal with for a player of Joe's position.

That part about the agent's conversation was told to me by a family member in virtually the exact same manner two different times since Joe was drafted. They 100% would have there and would have had conversations with the agent.

(02-20-2021, 03:18 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: Your point on SB makes me believe he will sign with a contender even if it less $$ than a team in a total rebuild mode... i think that will be the issue for some FA players...

Not to temper expectations, but I read that NE may try to keep him. Ts, would be ecstatic if we sign him!

I've also read that PFF expects us to sign Justin Houston too. I guess they assume we're major players now or something.

(02-20-2021, 06:45 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Sign Thuney
Sign Linsley
Draft Sewell 5th overall (Jonah to RT)
Draft Trey Hill 38th overall and move him to RG with plans for him to move back to C in 3-ish years.

Burrow now has 4 seconds to throw every down and you don't have to think about the OL again for 4 years. They have been dicking around with a shitty OL for 4 years now. Time to finally fix it and turn it into a strength.

Trey Hill at 38? And put him in a wide zone scheme? Lol No.