AJ on The Franchise Tag

[Circleville Guy]

(12-18-2019, 05:31 PM)Weazzel80 Wrote: I'm astonished at how many of you are bashing on Green. The guy has always played like an Elite Receiver whenever he's on the field. LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE WITHOUT HIM! His presence alone makes this team far more competitive just with how much coverage he demands.

ARE YOU GUYS NOT EXITED ABOUT PAIRING HIM WITH JOE BURROW???

and he didn't even say anything bad. At all. In fact, he said he wants to play in Cincinnati for the rest of his Career. I honestly don't know what most of you are even talking about in this thread. Injuries happen, and his injury might have just landed us a franchise QB.

This is the stuff that’s silly. Nobody is really bashing AJ, he’s had a really good career with the Bengals. It’s just not a good business plan to spend 18 Million dollars on any player that has missed the last year and a half, it doesn’t matter what his name is. You spend that 18.5 Mil on someone that’s healthy. AJ has been a top 5-10 Receiver, he’s not the best in the game! His career could very well be over.

[Bengalitis]

(12-18-2019, 08:31 PM)Circleville Guy Wrote: This is the stuff that’s silly. Nobody is really bashing AJ, he’s had a really good career with the Bengals. It’s just not a good business plan to spend 18 Million dollars on any player that has missed the last year and a half, it doesn’t matter what his name is. You spend that 18.5 Mil on someone that’s healthy. AJ has been a top 5-10 Receiver, he’s not the best in the game! His career could very well be over.

Well put. You can't win if you can't play. AJ has always delivered for the Bengals, but may his time has come for him to move on or take a huge pay cut. We'll see if he's committed like Fitzgerald at a much lower salary and likely role.

[THE PISTONS]

(12-18-2019, 09:01 PM)Bengalitis Wrote: Well put. You can't win if you can't play. AJ has always delivered for the Bengals, but may his time has come for him to move on or take a huge pay cut. We'll see if he's committed like Fitzgerald at a much lower salary and likely role.

Indeed. AJ's best years were on his rookie deal.

The past 4 years or so injuries have derailed his career.

[Circleville Guy]

(12-18-2019, 09:01 PM)Bengalitis Wrote: Well put. You can't win if you can't play. AJ has always delivered for the Bengals, but may his time has come for him to move on or take a huge pay cut. We'll see if he's committed like Fitzgerald at a much lower salary and likely role.

I think that everyone on here respects what AJ has accomplished and we all wish him well. In a perfect world, you sign him and he stays healthy. This isn’t a perfect world and a big part of winning is making wise decisions. I just don’t see it as a good risk at all that he will provide anything close to 18.5 Million a year. If he would sign for half of that on an incentive based contract then the gamble becomes less risky.

[THE PISTONS]

(12-18-2019, 09:11 PM)Circleville Guy Wrote: I think that everyone on here respects what AJ has accomplished and we all wish him well. In a perfect world, you sign him and he stays healthy. This isn’t a perfect world and a big part of winning is making wise decisions. I just don’t see it as a good risk at all that he will provide anything close to 18.5 Million a year. If he would sign for half of that on an incentive based contract then the gamble becomes less risky.

It feels like the Bengals do the opposite of what we'd do...doesn't it?

[lone bengal]

Can't wait to see how this all plays out. At the end of the day Mike Brown and company were stubborn and didn't want to trade any of there aging vets so they have messes like this to deal with. Us tagging A.J. for next season on a bad team and then losing him for nothing the following year makes no sense. Even if we get Borrow this team is still 3 great drafts away from being a contender and needs to get younger. We don't use free agency so we need more draft capital.

[JSR18]

Why allow a former 1st round pick who owes you a year and half worth of salary to walk away free into FA??

The only way you're going to get anything for him is to Franchise Tag him and then wheel and deal with whoever wants him (save for any AFC-N teams). They pay half and the Bengals pay half (of the tags total 18mil) and at least get a draft pick or 2...

[Passepartout]

Yeah but he swore to sit out if he was that. But just so much red tape and lots of paper work

[Trademark]

I’m ready to move on from this dude. Mr. glass

[yellowxdiscipline]

(12-18-2019, 12:46 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Palmer saw an elbow specialist and sat out 12 games in 2008 when it was obvious the team was bad. No one accused him of collecting a check.

Nope they just called him a quitter.

[R3stangs]

I'm just absolutely flabbergasted that a guy who can't get on the field for a full season and a half has the nerve to talk about a team not offering a long term contract as a "lack of commitment". Are you kidding me? Thats some arrogance right there.

He wants a long term high paying deal when he can't even get on the field?

Hopefully we let him walk. Sign another vet who actually plays. Burrow is starting from scratch with any reciever so its not like AJ presents as any better option than any other proven vet.

[Circleville Guy]

(12-18-2019, 09:14 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: It feels like the Bengals do the opposite of what we'd do...doesn't it?

It absolutely does. Would anybody really be surprised if the Bengals sign him to a 3 year, 45-50 Mil deal and he only plays about 6 games? All of the red flags and warning signs are waiving for all to see. If he did go somewhere else and puts up a 1000 yards for 3 straight years, so what? Those are solid numbers but not elite enough to put them over the top and you’re still gonna get contributions from other areas that his saved money is invested. Sentimental game planning usually backfires.

[Nicomo Cosca]

(12-19-2019, 03:38 AM)Circleville Guy Wrote: It absolutely does. Would anybody really be surprised if the Bengals sign him to a 3 year, 45-50 Mil deal and he only plays about 6 games? All of the red flags and warning signs are waiving for all to see. If he did go somewhere else and puts up a 1000 yards for 3 straight years, so what? Those are solid numbers but not elite enough to put them over the top and you’re still gonna get contributions from other areas that his saved money is invested. Sentimental game planning usually backfires.

You make a lot of excuses for Geno not putting up big numbers and point out how he draws double teams and has to be planned for, well the same is true for AJ. More so actually. Even if he’s “only” putting up around 1k yds he’s opening up other guys because DB’s are primarily concerned with AJ.

If he’s healthy, he’s a difference maker. And could absolutely put a good team over the top. I’m sure NE or SF would love to have him.

[Murdock2420]

A.J. needs to be allowed to test the market. The team screwed up by not trading him and the franchise disaster is going to be even worse.

[Murdock2420]

(12-19-2019, 02:05 AM)JSR18 Wrote:

               Why allow a former 1st round pick who owes you a year and half worth of salary to walk away free into FA??

The only way you're going to get anything for him is to Franchise Tag him and then wheel and deal with whoever wants him (save for any AFC-N teams). They pay half and the Bengals pay half (of the tags total 18mil) and at least get a draft pick or 2...

Why keep a guy who doesn't want to be here on a bad team.that is going to be bad for 3 or 4.more years as they rebuild? 

By the time this team finally gets over the hump again he will be 36, why have him here?? 

As for the wheel and deal, that is not Mike's strong suit unless Hue is the other teams head coach. 

[Catmandude123]

(12-19-2019, 02:05 AM)JSR18 Wrote:

               Why allow a former 1st round pick who owes you a year and half worth of salary to walk away free into FA??

The only way you're going to get anything for him is to Franchise Tag him and then wheel and deal with whoever wants him (save for any AFC-N teams). They pay half and the Bengals pay half (of the tags total 18mil) and at least get a draft pick or 2...

Tag him and have a disgruntled presence In the locker room. Tag him and he won't come to any non required team activities.Take the 18 mil and try to buy help for our new team. AJ said just YESTERDAY that he is a business and he won't risk injury before his next long term contract.

[Catmandude123]

(12-19-2019, 12:30 AM)lone bengal Wrote: Can't wait to see how this all plays out. At the end of the day Mike Brown and company were stubborn and didn't want to trade any of there aging vets so they have messes like this to deal with. Us tagging A.J. for next season on a bad team and then losing him for nothing the following year makes no sense. Even if we get Borrow this team is still 3 great drafts away from being a contender and needs to get younger. We don't use free agency so we need more draft capital.

I can't wait until fans face the reality of AJs trade value at the deadline tis fall.  What draft capital would we get for a aging , injury prone, on the  last year of his contract, hasn't played in a year WR?

[TJHoushmandzadeh's Shiny Shoes]

(12-18-2019, 04:59 PM)ochocincos Wrote: A WR franchise tag will cost ~$18.5 mill.
Dalton's final year will cost $17.7 mill.
Combined that's $36.2 mill.

Imagine what other players you could go get instead of Dalton and Green with that same money.

It's probably not as much as you think.


If we look at last year's free agency signings in our positions of need that's basically signing Ja'Wuan James and Kwon Alexander (both discussed at length last off season) once you've factored in inflation and the Bengals having to overpay thanks to the killer combination of poor team + unfavorable tax regime + undesirable climate/ location

Ja'Wuan James has a PFF grade of 55.7 this year (barely an upgrade on Bobby Hart's 55.4) and has been injured a lot. The injury prone Kwon Alexander would have been more of an upgade over Nick Vigil (61.3 v 56.9) but was ruled out for the season in week 8.

[Catmandude123]

(12-19-2019, 09:56 AM)TJHoushmandzadeh Wrote: It's probably not as much as you think.


If we look at last year's free agency signings in our positions of need that's basically signing Ja'Wuan James and Kwon Alexander (both discussed at length last off season) once you've factored in inflation and the Bengals having to overpay thanks to the killer combination of poor team + unfavorable tax regime + undesirable climate/ location

Ja'Wuan James has a PFF grade of 55.7 this year (barely an upgrade on Bobby Hart's 55.4) and has been injured a lot. The injury prone Kwon Alexander would have been more of an upgade over Nick Vigil (61.3 v 56.9) but was ruled out for the season in week 8.

With a new QB coming in any help would be helpful. Having an extra 35 million to spend on FAs would help more than a WR (0 contribution in one and a half years) and a middle of the pack QB. Its time to completely retool and start the next generation of Bengals. I know a lot of fans need their security blanket vets to give them hope but these players days of being viable answers for the future are fading fast.

[lone bengal]

(12-19-2019, 07:23 AM)Catmandude123 Wrote: I can't wait until fans face the reality of AJs trade value at the deadline tis fall.  What draft capital would we get for a aging , injury prone, on the  last year of his contract, hasn't played in a year WR?

Probably nothing now if he’s tagged. Should have moved him and other vets at the deadline. A guy like Eifert is just going to walk after the season and we’re going to get nothing for him which makes no sense. Letting guys like Dunlap and Atkins play out there contract until there 33-34 on a bad team makes no sense either. Need to get younger and develop young players. Were 3 great drafts away from even being a contender.