06-16-2020, 07:09 PM
I kinda did a double take when I sign Waynes annual salary but the more I thought about it, there are a great deal of positives.
1.) He's only 27 and in the prime of his career. He'll only be 30 when his contract his up. If you're going to overpay anyone, I'd much rather it be someone like this than a player aging out of his position. While he may not greatly improve, i don't think you have to worry about him falling off the map either.
2.) Waynes is a former first round pick and he went at #11, which was the highest CB off the board that year. Now this obviously does not guarantee him to be elite. But I think what it does say is that he has the physical tools to be successful in this league.
3.) He's great a tackler and helps in the run game. Where have we struggled these last few years? In the run game. There is no doubt he is a huge upgrade over Kirkpatrick in this department.
4.) He entered the league paired with Xavier Rhoades, who at the time was among the games elite. Waynes really wasn't asked to be a #1 corner the first few years of his career. They did need him to step more last season, and as I understand he struggled somewhat on the outside. But it's not as if he's failed to live up to expectation his entire career. It was more recent, and after having to step into a role, that questions arose. I'm hoping this can be atrributed to a lack of experience or that a new scheme will help.
5.) We have an "out" after only 2 seasons, where we can cut bait with relatively little dead money. If he proves to be an grossly overpaid at least it's not a contract where we'll be eating dead money for years to come.
Lastly, I do think you have to consider that for some teams sometimes you have to "overpay". As a team that has struggled recently, and hasn't been the most active in free agency, and is often relunctant to offer much in the way of guarantees, a precedence needs to be set. That being "We're serious about winning".
Sometimes paying more in advance can lead to savings or negotiating power in the future. Going all the way back the Reggie White signing by Green Bay is an example of this. At the time, many considered that deal as them grossly overpaying. And maybe they did. But it also helped turn around the perception of the franchise. No longer were they considered cheap. If overpaying Trae Waynes now helps change the narrative that the Bengals are cheap, or that no one goes there, then I think that has to be considered as added value to the signing.
Maybe Trae Waynes doesn't live up to 14 mil. But regardless, he helps this team. And even if he only plays at, say, a 10 mil dollar level, I can chalk up the remaining 4 to the Bengals helping to improve their reputation and image for potential free agents as being a legitimate destination.
1.) He's only 27 and in the prime of his career. He'll only be 30 when his contract his up. If you're going to overpay anyone, I'd much rather it be someone like this than a player aging out of his position. While he may not greatly improve, i don't think you have to worry about him falling off the map either.
2.) Waynes is a former first round pick and he went at #11, which was the highest CB off the board that year. Now this obviously does not guarantee him to be elite. But I think what it does say is that he has the physical tools to be successful in this league.
3.) He's great a tackler and helps in the run game. Where have we struggled these last few years? In the run game. There is no doubt he is a huge upgrade over Kirkpatrick in this department.
4.) He entered the league paired with Xavier Rhoades, who at the time was among the games elite. Waynes really wasn't asked to be a #1 corner the first few years of his career. They did need him to step more last season, and as I understand he struggled somewhat on the outside. But it's not as if he's failed to live up to expectation his entire career. It was more recent, and after having to step into a role, that questions arose. I'm hoping this can be atrributed to a lack of experience or that a new scheme will help.
5.) We have an "out" after only 2 seasons, where we can cut bait with relatively little dead money. If he proves to be an grossly overpaid at least it's not a contract where we'll be eating dead money for years to come.
Lastly, I do think you have to consider that for some teams sometimes you have to "overpay". As a team that has struggled recently, and hasn't been the most active in free agency, and is often relunctant to offer much in the way of guarantees, a precedence needs to be set. That being "We're serious about winning".
Sometimes paying more in advance can lead to savings or negotiating power in the future. Going all the way back the Reggie White signing by Green Bay is an example of this. At the time, many considered that deal as them grossly overpaying. And maybe they did. But it also helped turn around the perception of the franchise. No longer were they considered cheap. If overpaying Trae Waynes now helps change the narrative that the Bengals are cheap, or that no one goes there, then I think that has to be considered as added value to the signing.
Maybe Trae Waynes doesn't live up to 14 mil. But regardless, he helps this team. And even if he only plays at, say, a 10 mil dollar level, I can chalk up the remaining 4 to the Bengals helping to improve their reputation and image for potential free agents as being a legitimate destination.
