Free Agency

[HoosierCat]

Thanks, Army. I was wondering whether Stanford counted since he was an untendered RFA. Apparently not, so that's good.

There was a guy once wo was uncannily good at projecting comp picks, AdamJT13, but his blog hasn't been updated in a couple years. There's a summary of his method here.

“Compensatory free agents are determined by a secret formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. Not every free agent lost or signed is covered by the formula.

“Although the formula has never been revealed, by studying the compensatory picks that have been awarded since they began in 1994, I’ve determined that the primary factor in the value of the picks awarded is the average annual value of the contract the player signed with his new team, with an adjustment for playing time and a smaller adjustment for postseason honours. It should be noted that the contract values used in the equation seemingly do not include things such as workout bonuses, incentives and conditional bonuses. (Also, keep in mind that the contract figures reported in the media often are incorrect.) And the playing time used in the equation seemingly is the percentage of offensive or defensive snaps played.

“A simple method of determining for which qualifying free agents a team will be compensated is this – for every player acquired, cancel out a lost player of similar value. For example, consider a team that loses one qualifying player whose value would bring a third-round compensatory pick and another qualifying player whose value would bring a sixth-round compensatory pick but signs a qualifying player whose value would be in the range of a third-round pick. That team would receive a sixth-round compensatory pick because the signed player would cancel out the loss of the higher-valued player. If the signed player’s value was equal to a fourth-round pick or lower, however, the team would receive a third-round compensatory pick, because the signed player would cancel out the loss of the lower-valued player.”

[TJJackson]

I don't believe they have ever drafted a Safety in the first round.

1992 Darryl Williams Miami (FL)

[TJJackson]

Yeah, I had already mentioned Campbell is a good signing from the comp picks perspective

Good news on Stanford - yep, untendered RFAs dont count

The jury is still out on Newhouse since he was paid a (small) signing bonus. I am praying he doesn't, particularly since he's just a one year rental of depth

[GapControl]

thanks Wraith. I didn`t know Remington but I have heard of Bob Johnson. I remember the year we took Takeo and Simmons... not sure if they played MLB or were more OLB. I seem to remember there was someone else playing MLB primarily back then...

Army, I know not many teams select those positions in the first round but I feel like the Bengals force their hand a lot by not going after LT free agents. This year is a prime example.

I don`t recall the team ever signing a LT free agent. Anyone else???

[TJJackson]

Have you heard of the Rimington Trophy?

/>http://rimingtontrophy.com/history/

[GapControl]

well yes i have... never put the two together. thanks tj and wraith

[HoosierCat]

Looks like the two mystery teams in the Jackson derby are SF and Cleveland.

/>http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/04/01/report-49ers-browns-aggressively-pursuing-jackson/

A receiving corps of Josh Gordon, Jackson and Hawkins would be formidable...

[ArmyBengal]

Yeah and their TE Jordan is also top end.

If Hoyer comes back in shape after injury and/or they get someone in the draft, they could be looking good.

Then again, it's easier to look good on paper than on the field.

[Wraith]

It's Cleveland something will jump out to trip them up.....

[ArmyBengal]

Looks like Washington will finalize the agreed to deal today.
/>http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/04/01/report-desean-jackson-agrees-to-terms-with-redskins/

[HoosierCat]

Memo from the "Ha-Ha Eff You Bengals Fans We Aren't Even Trying Signed The Front Office" Department: Robert Ayers signed with NYG.

Per espn it's a 2-year, $4 million deal.

Meanwhile, the Bengals are set to pay $5.7 million to Geathers, who is two years older and less productive, this year and next.

[ArmyBengal]

I really don't understand that move at all.

I understand loyalty, but that's more like the blind leading the blind.

Sign Ayers, cut Geathers, improve your roster, and get this..... Put money in your pocket for a rainy day.

How did they miss that part of the process ??

[TJJackson]

If Ayers was not cut/released, he wasnt a target due to the comp pick loss that would have resulted from his signing

If he was in fact cut/released - that was a mistake not to look at him, especially at the bargain price he signed for

[HoosierCat]

They were clearly interested as he visited a couple weeks ago.

/>http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2014/03/19/former-broncos-de-robert-ayers-visits-bengals/6625905/

[kingwilly]

Looks like Washington will finalize the agreed to deal today.
/>http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/04/01/report-desean-jackson-agrees-to-terms-with-redskins/

3yrs $24M.... very reasonable, considering the $ guys are making at the top end of the WR position.

As for not signing Ayers and sticking with Geathers, I think its ridiculous. They have no issue holding hard and fast to their "rules" for the RB spot, and so it should go with DEs. They did not sign MJ because they felt it was not worth it. Yet they keep Geathers for 5.7M? This is a contradiction.

....AND they are the 4th highest in cap space.

squeeze that penny till little copper turds drop out its butt.

[kingwilly]

I really don't understand that move at all.

I understand loyalty, but that's more like the blind leading the blind.

Sign Ayers, cut Geathers, improve your roster, and get this..... Put money in your pocket for a rainy day.

How did they miss that part of the process ??

Loyalty would be signing AC. Loyalty would be keeping MJ. ...Guys who can still deliver.

Keeping two guys who were on IR (Hall and Geathers), who may not even still be effective, is just a huge risk when the smarter move is to move on and improve at those spots. There were no shortage of CBs and DEs to bring in. Not anymore.

[TJJackson]

How much of Geathers money is dead money and how much is cap savings if he is released?

If it is largely dead money, I assume they will keep him around as their first down run stopping DE - tho yeah, that kind of coin is waaaaay high for a player of Geather's average-at-best caliber

Regarding Ayers - he had just finished out his rookie contract, was not cut/waived/released, so he'd have cost us a r4 comp pick to sign. Maybe they thought they were on the verge of having another low-end player signed away, and so they could then sign Ayers, and it just didn't happen. Dunno. Other than that, no idea why'd they bring him in.

[kingwilly]

How much of Geathers money is dead money and how much is cap savings if he is released?

If it is largely dead money, I assume they will keep him around as their first down run stopping DE

I don't know where the $5M number came from. This link says he's only due $2.7, none of it dead money.

/>http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/cincinnati-bengals/robert-geathers/

So, that is a bit more affordable of a risk.

[HoosierCat]

How much of Geathers money is dead money

$0.00

and how much is cap savings if he is released?

$2.7 million in 2014, $3.05 million in 2015.

[TJJackson]

Well Joisey said it so it must be true :-)

2.7 is still a bit high, but as you say, quite a bit more palatable

[HoosierCat]

Well Joisey said it so it must be true :-)

I get all my info from the internet which, as you know, is 100% right 100% of the time.

[TJJackson]

Well then, with no dead money whatsoever, I wont be surprised AT ALL if we see Mr Geathers released sometime between now and the end of training camp, accompanied by the announcement of signing an average-ish DE just released by some other club for vet min and not much else.

Far less likely but still possible - a renegotiated contact for Geathers with FAR less money to suit his part time status

Either way - yet more coin to feed Dalton/Tez/Green.

[HoosierCat]

I dunno TJ. If we give big money to those guys, how are we going to keep Rex Burkhead, our new savior? Plus there's all those guys we draft this year that will cost us big money in 2018. We may have to let Dalton, Green and Vontaze walk so we can keep the core intact during the second half of this decade.

[/sarcasm aimed at FO not TJ] ;)/>

[TJJackson]

Sarcasm noted and aside, why pay a serviceable backup DE almost 6 million when you can pay a younger and (roughly) equally serviceable backup 1.5 to 2 million for (roughly) the same performance?

Geathers 10 sack season seems like an eternity ago

[HoosierCat]

Your guess is as good as mine, TJ. At this point I don't know what's going through their heads. The Bengals are usually about as active as a sloth this time of year, but this year they may as well be a rock. This is the do-nothingest offseason I've ever seen, at least so far.