02-19-2021, 07:18 PM
I keep hearing talk of who we'll sign out of William Jackson or Carl Lawson. I also see a lot of breakdowns on our cap space where people account for different signings. But I think some are forgetting a couple of things.
Jessie Bates and Sam Hubbard are both going into their final years. If this team has these two in plans for their future and they have faith in them then now is the time to get a deal worked.
You get a discount by signing them early and avoid a number of things that may occur if their contracts run out (Franchise tag, hurt feelings, market going up, etc.)
I think Jesse Bates is an absolute no-brainer to get a deal done with. He's earned it, he has to factor in our long-term plans, and there is no use in waiting. Why wait to sign him when we're in a decreased cap year, with a decreased market? If you don't get it done now you're potentially looking at the cap to reset from 180ish to the 210 range in 2022. You're looking at the flood gates to open in 2022 with teams looking to spend after a tightened 2021. The market will inevitably go up.
A lot of what I just said for Bates is true for Hubbard as well. While I don't think he's as important as Bates, I don't you can deny that if you want him long-term then you work something this offseason. Not only is he going to be more favorable to work with by giving him security a year early, he's not coming off a strong year. The price he will cost in 2021 may very well skyrocket in 2022.
If I'm the Bengals I get both of these done. And I wouldn't even consider signing William Jackson, unless he's looking for a sub 8 mil per deal. I also wouldn't consider tagging Lawson either. While I would like to have him, paying top 5 DE money is absolutely absurd.
So I guess the question remains do you want to pay Lawson higher end money on a long-term vs. Hubbard at a discount? Or do you work long-term deals for both DE's in one offseason?
I'll stop rambling, but I do think we really need to consider what happens with these two this offseason more than we currently do in our conversations about cap space.
Jessie Bates and Sam Hubbard are both going into their final years. If this team has these two in plans for their future and they have faith in them then now is the time to get a deal worked.
You get a discount by signing them early and avoid a number of things that may occur if their contracts run out (Franchise tag, hurt feelings, market going up, etc.)
I think Jesse Bates is an absolute no-brainer to get a deal done with. He's earned it, he has to factor in our long-term plans, and there is no use in waiting. Why wait to sign him when we're in a decreased cap year, with a decreased market? If you don't get it done now you're potentially looking at the cap to reset from 180ish to the 210 range in 2022. You're looking at the flood gates to open in 2022 with teams looking to spend after a tightened 2021. The market will inevitably go up.
A lot of what I just said for Bates is true for Hubbard as well. While I don't think he's as important as Bates, I don't you can deny that if you want him long-term then you work something this offseason. Not only is he going to be more favorable to work with by giving him security a year early, he's not coming off a strong year. The price he will cost in 2021 may very well skyrocket in 2022.
If I'm the Bengals I get both of these done. And I wouldn't even consider signing William Jackson, unless he's looking for a sub 8 mil per deal. I also wouldn't consider tagging Lawson either. While I would like to have him, paying top 5 DE money is absolutely absurd.
So I guess the question remains do you want to pay Lawson higher end money on a long-term vs. Hubbard at a discount? Or do you work long-term deals for both DE's in one offseason?
I'll stop rambling, but I do think we really need to consider what happens with these two this offseason more than we currently do in our conversations about cap space.
