Whit & Zeitler Vs Geno & Carlos

[BengalChris]

(08-31-2018, 12:38 PM)Whatever Wrote: It's hard to say what Zeitler hypothetically would've taken.  It's clear that they were never really close.  DeCastro is a lot better than Zeitler.  Frankly, Z isn't worth $9 mil a year.  Maybe $7 mil, tops.  

The issue with Whit was the Bengals wanted to go year to year due to his age and Whit wanted another multi year deal.  The initial money was close.  The Bengals big mistake with Whit was overestimating his loyalty to the team and not tagging him.

People assume a player will always sign on the cheap if you extend them a year early, but it's not always the case.  Some guys want to test FA, regardless.  A 1st round pick who just got his 5th year option picked up has made enough money to be set for life and can afford to gamble on themselves.  Now, guys taken in the middle to late rounds who aren't making millions a year will often jump on that financial security, but that wasn't Z or Whit's position.

Yes, but the year before DeCastro's contract set the mark for OGs. It would have been unreasonable for Zeitler to demand more than DeCastro in the same off season, and I am pretty sure he didn't. The Bengals didn't even bother offering a deal. Now the next year was entirely different and he got a record contract from the Browns.

Bengals just overestimated Ogbuehi and underestimated Whit.