Duke's thoughts of maybe Trading TEE could be PEAKING at the Combine

[*Go Cards*]

(02-29-2024, 04:33 PM)depthchart Wrote: 1. So the 17 Teams picking ahead of the Bengals have enough rookie #1 options not to want TEE even when some Teams may 

    see TEE as a better #1 option than the rookie available when they pick -and-

2. if the Bengals Trade TEE for a lower 1st round pick they will be competing against those lower Teams for receivers, so why do it.


*1. I agree that it would be harder to get a 1st round pick higher than the Bengals pick #18 but just where would 1st round pick interest in TEE 

    end (does interest end at pick #22 or pick #16) and swapping first round picks while also getting later picks would be possible if a Team likes 

    TEE more as a #1 option than the rookies available when they pick.

*2. Once the Bengals get a later 1st round pick for TEE they could still use their own pick #18 to take a receiver and end the "competition"

      to get a 1st round receiver with all of the Teams picking after pick #18. 

      (Then the Bengals could use the late 1st round pick they got for TEE on another position)

      (or they could use pick #18 at another position and then use the later round one pick on a receiver since all they need is a #2 receiver, not a #1)

*I just don't see it as wise to assume options off the table*

Plus the Bengals would have Tee's $20 million to spend on a "proven" FA that everybody is saying the Bengals covet so much. A trade gets both a extra pick and a big FA with  Tee's tag money alone. Still would have the rest of there extra cap money and the added $30 million to spend as well. 

Those that think trading him takes the Bengals out of being a SB contender are just not opening their eyes. Both ways can work, sign or trade. The Bengals can get a very good player for $21 million without question and have an extra late 1st or early 2nd round pick.  

The only thing that will prevent Bengals from being a SB contender is if a tagged unhappy Tee shows up and tries to play safe and not get hurt. 

To me it is simple, sign him or trade him. Holding him hostage is not the right move, holding him hostage a 2nd year is even crueler to him.  We've already seen this with Green and Bates when they just played not to get hurt and mailed it in, and who could blame them for not going all in for a team about to discard them ? 

Tee deserves much better than that anyway.  Don't get why so many are siding with the elite rich over the employee getting what he deserves in his very small window of opportunity called an NFL career. He deserves his longterm contract and the only real question should be is it from the Bengals or not. 

 Either the Bengals can afford him or not.