09-25-2017, 11:33 AM
(09-25-2017, 11:29 AM)Pat5775 Wrote: No, nobody "let" anybody leave. Both of those guys took the money to play elsewhere. I know efforts were made to keep Whitworth, but he left on his own accord. Efforts were made to keep Zeitler as well, but what he got in Cleveland? How could he turn that down?
It sucks, and losing them crippled this team but it's not like they willingly let them get away
Whitworth could have been franchise tagged. The Bengals assumed he'd never leave. They were supposedly walking around the combine telling people Whitworth was coming back and it angered him.
From what I've seen...the Bengals never negotiated with Zeitler. They just let him go. A year before he was a free agent, if they swooped in and offerred him a DeCastro size contract...he probably stays. Zeitler was absolutely willingly let go as they don't highly value Guard.
