10-08-2024, 01:54 PM
Aside from improving their scouting and drafting process, I think one of the single most impactful things the Organization can do to improve is changing its willingness/ability to guarantee money past the first year of a deal.
Even if the Bengals luck into drafting an elite player, they will always struggle to keep the player on a second contract because of their willingness to guarantee money past the first year.
There has been a lot of talk about Jessie Bates over the past week… I may be wrong, but my understanding is that they tried to keep Bates, but were unable to because of the guarantees, which is where the collective hate for David Mulugheta originated from. And now the same guaranteed money issue is coming up again with Jamaar.
This reluctance to guarantee money also impacts the Bengals ability to sign high end free agents. For example, Grover Stewart and Leonard Williams both just signed 3-year deals with first 2 years of the deal fully guaranteed. Unless the Bengals are willing to match these type of guarantees, even players of this calibre would be reluctant to come to the Bengals.
Even if the Bengals luck into drafting an elite player, they will always struggle to keep the player on a second contract because of their willingness to guarantee money past the first year.
There has been a lot of talk about Jessie Bates over the past week… I may be wrong, but my understanding is that they tried to keep Bates, but were unable to because of the guarantees, which is where the collective hate for David Mulugheta originated from. And now the same guaranteed money issue is coming up again with Jamaar.
This reluctance to guarantee money also impacts the Bengals ability to sign high end free agents. For example, Grover Stewart and Leonard Williams both just signed 3-year deals with first 2 years of the deal fully guaranteed. Unless the Bengals are willing to match these type of guarantees, even players of this calibre would be reluctant to come to the Bengals.
