03-01-2020, 08:26 PM
They almost have to franchise him. If he gets overly disgruntled about it, maybe they could move him after signing. I doubt he will.
AJ is an all-time great Bengal and almost everyone wants things to go well for him here.
He does, however, unlike he tells people, have quite a bit to prove right now. He needs to show that he can remain healthy enough to get on the field, much less play at his typical high level. There's just no way I'd be comfortable giving him 17 mil per for 3 years without seeing him play again. Everyone gets to see what he can do now, hopefully.
The team is in a tight spot with him. I have 0.0 doubt that they would have signed him to a huge extension had he not been injured this summer. With the situation being what it is, the tag protects the team. If they let him walk and he goes on to play like a top 10 WR, they look bad. If they sign him to a gigantic deal and he plays 5 games a year for the next 3 seasons, they look even worse. The tag is a distasteful but necessary option.
AJ is an all-time great Bengal and almost everyone wants things to go well for him here.
He does, however, unlike he tells people, have quite a bit to prove right now. He needs to show that he can remain healthy enough to get on the field, much less play at his typical high level. There's just no way I'd be comfortable giving him 17 mil per for 3 years without seeing him play again. Everyone gets to see what he can do now, hopefully.
The team is in a tight spot with him. I have 0.0 doubt that they would have signed him to a huge extension had he not been injured this summer. With the situation being what it is, the tag protects the team. If they let him walk and he goes on to play like a top 10 WR, they look bad. If they sign him to a gigantic deal and he plays 5 games a year for the next 3 seasons, they look even worse. The tag is a distasteful but necessary option.
