Who to tag?

[NATI BENGALS]

We have a tag to use. What are your thoughts on who gets what?

My ideal scenario is MJ listens to Houshmanzedah and his grass isn't always greener lesson. And we sign MJ back with a fair deal. If you sign with the Bengals the chances of seeing that whole contract are pretty good. 5 year 40 mil here is worth a lot more than just about any other franchise. If we had something developed at WR who I had faith could step in I wouldnt pay so much. But right now Alford and Kumerow are our 2 and 3 WR. We offer that to MJ with 10 mil this year before free agency starts and he signs, leaving us on the hook for 4 year 30 mil after 2016. Not bad.

If that happens we need to transition tag Iloka. It should be a lower tag number compared to other positions. And will eliminate a lot of competition for his services.

MJ and Iloka are our two absolute should keeps IMO. If we play it right should be no problem keeping our youngest and best free agents.

[Yojimbo]

Probably Iloka. Cheaper to tag a safety than a WR.

[*Go Cards*]

Jonathan Joseph

[yellowxdiscipline]

Iloka. For MJ, the #2 market isn't that lucrative this season. Lots of competition, and #2 guys don't usually command a lot of money. Tagging Iloka gives a chance to give Nelson a decent 2 year deal to keep him around.

[milksheikh]

I'd try to get MJ done long term and tag Iloka if we can't..

[Hammerstripes]

(01-25-2016, 11:12 AM)yellowxdiscipline Wrote: Iloka. For MJ,  the #2 market isn't that lucrative this season. Lots of competition, and #2 guys don't usually command a lot of money. Tagging Iloka gives a chance to give Nelson a decent 2 year deal to keep him around.

MJ will more than likely go and be a #1 somewhere.  I can see Hue trying to sell him on that.

That being said, if we give him a fair deal in line with the market, he should come back.  This team was the best team in the AFC when Dalton and Burfict were healthy.

[yellowxdiscipline]

(01-25-2016, 11:47 AM)Hammerstripes Wrote: MJ will more than likely go and be a #1 somewhere.  I can see Hue trying to sell him on that.

That being said, if we give him a fair deal in line with the market, he should come back.  This team was the best team in the AFC when Dalton and Burfict were healthy.

I love MJ, but hes not a #1.. He'd get shut down everytime. He thrives off the focus that defenses give AJ Green. MJ going to Cleveland would be a career killer. Yea the money might be there but hed going to a franchise in shambles with so much quarterback uncertainty. He needs to suck it up, and accept that hes best suited as a number 2 somewhere with stability behind the center.

[t3r3e3]

(01-25-2016, 11:47 AM)Hammerstripes Wrote: MJ will more than likely go and be a #1 somewhere.  I can see Hue trying to sell him on that.

That being said, if we give him a fair deal in line with the market, he should come back.  This team was the best team in the AFC when Dalton and Burfict were healthy.

If Josh Gordon is back, MLJ will be #3 in Cle, behind Gordon and Barnidge.

[jfkbengals]

If he hadn't exploded for a 15 yarder with Joey Porter on the field, I would have gone with Adam Jones. Instead I'm going with Iloka, but Nelson is a good possibility as well.

[jfkbengals]

Andre Smith on the transition tag is another possibility if they don't want to hand over the reigns to Ced or Fisher just yet.

[Daddy-O]

You're not going to tag MLJ and give him top 5 money. As much as I like MLJ he is not elite.

Iloka on the other hand may just be worthy of the tag.

[StLucieBengal]

yellowxdiscipli Wrote:Iloka. For MJ,  the #2 market isn't that lucrative this season. Lots of competition, and #2 guys don't usually command a lot of money. Tagging Iloka gives a chance to give Nelson a decent 2 year deal to keep him around.

This makes the most sense. Plus it ensures we keep a safety. I think in the end the Nelson deal gets done . He stayed before he will stay again .

Marvin Jones is valued most here and Cleveland. But he will be the #3 guy in both places so why leave. If the Browns overpay then so be it ...

[ItsOdellThurman]

Marvin Jones is not a #1 WR, but please don't pretend that desperate teams might be willing to pay him more than a #2. Plenty of teams would. The Bengals will have to pay him top 25 at the WR position to keep him, and if they are willing to do that, I'm fine with it. However, if they don't, he will get that type of money somewhere and he will be gone. There won't be any discounted deal here.

IMO, you franchise tag Iloka given the cap number on safeties.

[J24]

Iloka easily.

[jfkbengals]

(01-25-2016, 04:53 PM)ItsOdellThurman Wrote: Marvin Jones is not a #1 WR, but please don't pretend that desperate teams might be willing to pay him more than a #2.  Plenty of teams would.  The Bengals will have to pay him top 25 at the WR position to keep him, and if they are willing to do that, I'm fine with it.  However, if they don't, he will get that type of money somewhere and he will be gone.  There won't be any discounted deal here.

IMO, you franchise tag Iloka given the cap number on safeties.

Well said.

Minny and Washington could both use more receiver help, and both of their HCs were here when MLJ and Sanu were drafted.

Green Bay, Baltimore, and the Giants all could also have used either of those guys as well.

There will be a market for both.  Hopefully at least one of them will stay on a deal which is good for both parties.

[Atomic Orange]

Iloka, Nelson, and Jones are who we need to keep. 2 TE sets and Sanu should be able to cover for MLJ if someone decides to overpay (Browns). We just need to learn how to incorporate that into our game of coarse.

Remember, we won a lot of games without Jones and he isn't worth crazy money based on this years output either.

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

Nobody would be my choice.

Iloka is good, but I don't think he is franchise tag good. If the tag numbers jump from '15 to '16 like they did from '14 to '15, that would mean you're paying Iloka $10.8m or so. There's no way Iloka is a $10m+ Safety. Sign Nelson to the last contract of his career, slot Williams in at the other Safety spot, and then let someone else overpay Iloka.

Marvin Jones certainly isn't a $13.3m wide receiver. I wouldn't even like the 5yr/$40m deal the OP suggested. $8m/yr is just below what Brandon Marshall, Michael Crabtree, and Antonio Brown make. It would tie Marvin Jones for the 18th highest AAV contract for a WR in the NFL. Marvin Jones isn't the 18th best WR in the NFL, the dude has one career game of 100+ yards, this year was the first time he started more than 5 games in a season, and he has a history of foot/ankle injuries. There's a lot of good WRs coming out in every draft who can be a productive #2 WR behind AJ Green and with Eifert and Gio taking attention off them too, but for rookie contract money.

So my answer would be to tag nobody. Then take that money saved and go get a single big time difference maker like Alex Mack, Alshon Jeffery, Von Miller, or Janoris Jenkins. Would much rather have Jeffery for $11m/yr than Jones for $8m/yr.

[StLucieBengal]

Mack would need to opt out of his contract.

Jeffrey, Miller, and Jenkins are all likely to be tagged.

[milksheikh]

(01-25-2016, 05:24 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Nobody would be my choice.

Iloka is good, but I don't think he is franchise tag good. If the tag numbers jump from '15 to '16 like they did from '14 to '15, that would mean you're paying Iloka $10.8m or so. There's no way Iloka is a $10m+ Safety. Sign Nelson to the last contract of his career, slot Williams in at the other Safety spot, and then let someone else overpay Iloka.

Marvin Jones certainly isn't a $13.3m wide receiver. I wouldn't even like the 5yr/$40m deal the OP suggested. $8m/yr is just below what Brandon Marshall, Michael Crabtree, and Antonio Brown make. It would tie Marvin Jones for the 18th highest AAV contract for a WR in the NFL. Marvin Jones isn't the 18th best WR in the NFL, the dude has one career game of 100+ yards, this year was the first time he started more than 5 games in a season, and he has a history of foot/ankle injuries. There's a lot of good WRs coming out in every draft who can be a productive #2 WR behind AJ Green and with Eifert and Gio taking attention off them too, but for rookie contract money.

So my answer would be to tag nobody. Then take that money saved and go get a single big time difference maker like Alex Mack, Alshon Jeffery, Von Miller, or Janoris Jenkins. Would much rather have Jeffery for $11m/yr than Jones for $8m/yr.

You make a decent point, New talented receivers are being drafted in the first 3 rounds nowadays. Look at Amari Cooper, Odell, Tyler Lockett, Mike Evans, Jarvis Landry, etc. I think it might not be a bad choice to go to the draft for receiver help and resign the needs and go big on defense in outside FAs.

[*jason*]

Why does everybody think the Browns are chomping at the bit to overpay Marvin Jones?  They already have a #2 in Travis Benjamin.