08-25-2020, 04:00 PM
(08-25-2020, 03:48 PM)Whatever Wrote: I don't think it's that. If AJ was drafted in the 7th, the sentiments would still be the same. In reality, having a guy that doesn't play making $15-18 mil a year hurts your team a lot more than a guy making $5-6 mil a year just because you have a large chunk of cap space tied up in a player who's not yielding any return.
AJ is an all time Bengals great. Because of that, we all hope he ages like wine, helps Burrow win a couple of SB's, and ride off into the sunset on his own terms. Ross is nowhere near an all time great. If this hammy keeps AJ out all year and Ross has a 1000 yard season, there will still be people that want AJ resigned over Ross. The dream can't become a reality unless AJ is a Bengal.
No, it really wouldn't. We drafted Robbey Anderson in the 6th and after getting hurt again we cut him and no one blinked an eye...because it was a 6th. To the context of my comment earlier, the reason Ross gets so much crap is because the asset of a top 10 pick being used with little to no tangible return. Players who were taken with assets of less value, later picks, recieve little to flack when they don't pan out.
The money only hurts if it actually took away from others receiving it, which there is no evidence AJ has. Consider for a second that we have not spent more than $8 Million under the cap any year in which AJ has been hurt, and that includes the salaries of all the replacement players we pay for IR guys. Cap space does not equal money that will be spent merely the ceiling for those who want to spend it. Since they weren't up against the cap it is safe to assume if they really wanted to they could have added more help at other positions, but they never seemed inclined to do so.
I believe it's a misconception that an injured AJ deprived us of some other sort of big-time FA. Until this season they had no interest in spending anything close to his salary, or even half his salary, on a player in FA, and even this year I think they wouldn't have spent the money used on a tag on more outside FA's since they had already stepped outside and spent so much as is.
