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2026 FA Thread | S Bryan Cook 3/40m | DE Boye Mafe 3/60m | DT Jonathan Allen 2/28m | QB Josh Johnson 1/1m | S Kyle Dugger 1/?m


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Posted

Well they are banking on the assumption Trey will sign the tag. Nothing says he has to and without that, there’s no trade.

This is why I’m betting on them letting him walk and then hoping a team is stupid enough to sign him to a high dollar deal which would result in a 3rd round comp pick.

All that other tag and trade talk is too much like normal organization shit. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

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Posted
19 hours ago, Stripes said:

They'll trade him well after the draft and ensure the process is as inefficient, needlessly teeth-pulling, and unbountiful as possible.

And of course they will use any draft pick they get in return on a guy who turns out to be a complete bust, rendering the entire exercise a complete waste of time.

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Posted

I assume, at least I hope, that the only scenario in which they ask him to sign the tag is as follows:  they go to the team meetings, shop the idea of a tag and trade around.  If a team bites, AND they are able to come to an agreement with Trey and his agent on a long term deal, then and only then do they tag Trey and ask him to sign.  In other words the whole deal is agreed upon and in place before they tag him.

If, on the other hand, they just tag him and ask him to sign so they can replay last year’s fiasco, they are in for a surprise.  

Posted

Hard for me to give a shit what they do anyway. I don’t trust them at all. If they do exactly what I ask for, that just means I was wrong and they’ll soon prove it.

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Posted

Trust - first time I’ve seen it phrased like that, but that is exactly it.  I just do not trust this front office to get anything done correctly.  
 

 

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Posted
18 hours ago, COB said:

I assume, at least I hope, that the only scenario in which they ask him to sign the tag is as follows:  they go to the team meetings, shop the idea of a tag and trade around.  If a team bites, AND they are able to come to an agreement with Trey and his agent on a long term deal, then and only then do they tag Trey and ask him to sign.  In other words the whole deal is agreed upon and in place before they tag him.

Well, yes, that's pretty much the only way one of these things works. The big challenge is Hendrickson himself. As the alleged top FA available, he can write his own ticket. He's anticipating a bidding war for his services that will likely reset the DE market, so he has virtually no incentive to cooperate on a tag-and-trade with the Bengals. And that doesn't even consider the bad blood between the two camps.

There's also the same issue as last year, that teams are going to be reluctant to give up draft compensation on top of giving a giant pile of money to Trey.

Bottom line, for this to work, the Bengals need a trade partner who is basically insane, which imo limits the potential field to Jerry Jones.

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Posted

I honestly think that Hendrickson is done here, regardless of anything  

we could offer him 100M a year and hed still want to leave

I respect and appreciate everything he has done for us up through the 2024 season, but the bromance is over

I think we just sit back and wait for the 3rd round comp pick.  

When other teams laugh and say look he just set the new sack record in 2026and all you get is a low 3rd round pick.....my response will be......he didnt want to play for us, and would not have set that record as a Bengal

so yeah, at this point, especially considering his injuries in 2025, yeah, gimme the 3rd round comp pick, and I wish TRex all the best

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Posted
23 hours ago, HoosierCat said:

Well, yes, that's pretty much the only way one of these things works. 

That’s what we think.  Mike has been known to flout convention when trying to maximize whatever advantage he thinks he has.  Would they again just tag him and say go find your own trade deal?  Then sit on their asses and just harrumph at every offer.  (Not good enough!).  I sure hope not.  

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Posted

The combine is almost here, so that means it's time to check in with fake GM Duke Tobin and see what he thinks about the Hendrickson situation.

Quote

"Trades can be complicated and that hypothetical scenario would be very complicated."

You don't say?

Quote

"But in terms of how we're gonna deploy the tag, if we are going to, that's not something I'm gonna talk about here."

Yeah, we kind of figured that would be the case, Duke. So let's see what Zac has to say.

Quote

"There is a good group of guys," Taylor said of the prospective pass rushers the team could sign in March. "We'll see how it fits for us and see where it goes. You watch the playoffs and the teams get after the passer and it's a big part of their success."

Really? It is? Taylor's insights never cease to amaze, no wonder he's an NFL head coach. I'm sure if he were running SpaceX instead of Elmo, we'd be on Mars by now.

Quote

Tobin, Taylor and the Bengals have received ample criticism following a 6-11 season and the third straight year without a playoff appearance. But despite those struggles, Tobin is optimistic about what the team could accomplish in 2026.

"Do I think that we can make additions this offseason that push us over the hump?" Tobin said. "I do."

I don't know about any hump, but I'm very confident that they're capable of pushing this team off a cliff.

Posted

Oh, and here's a sweetener from Dehner:

Quote

What’s Dalton Risner’s future?

“I thought it ended up being a great fit for him in how we play, and he became a great fit for us and came in and filled the need for us. Did a nice job, fit in well, got a ton of respect for him, really enjoyed getting to know him. He’s really, you know, a fantastic person just to be around in the locker room on a day-to-day basis. And he’s a guy that we’ve talked to, and we’ll see if we can get something done. He’s got decisions to make, and we’ve got decisions to make, and he’s a guy that we like a lot.”

What it means: Signing Risner doesn’t sound as simple as anybody would hope. That makes sense, of course, as Risner hopes to capitalize on one of the best seasons of his career. Yes, the Bengals are trying to bring him back, but if there’s a market for him elsewhere, well, we know what the conversation at guard has looked like around here in the past. There’s probably common ground here they can find, but coach Zac Taylor said they are “in the business side of things” right now, so this doesn’t appear to be a layup signing at this moment. This will likely go down to the free-agency deadline, as most of these types of deals do.

So these bozos can't even get Risner done. What a collection of buffoons.

Posted

So Risner, an about to be 31 year old OG, who everyone noted was instrumental in having the best line in Burrow's history (that isn't saying much) and has never made more than 4 million in any season he has played dating back to 2019 is going to be problematic?  Let's not forget he actually WANTS to play for Cincinnati ok?

In what fucking universe does any of that sound challenging?
Let me guess....  the Bengals don't value offensive guards still, so they can't make a 2-3 year deal happen at that price.

When anyone wants to try to take a guess at why the Bengals are the living embodiment of cheapness and failure, I give the above example.  You simply cannot change the narrative about or the way people view you when you continue to make things this fucking challenging.

People should get fired for shit like this.  I hate the Bengals so much.

Fuck you Duke Tobin, you Elmer Fudd looking motherfucker !!

  • Thanks 1
Posted

Just for awareness, Tobin says he's NEVER NOT been all in and for 2026 they are all in.

Well Duke, seeing as how you have been with the Bengals since 1999 and you've never accomplished a damned thing, you are either full of shit or being "All In" must mean something completely different to you than it does to, you know, everyone else in the known world.

Douchebag

  • Like 2
Posted
3 hours ago, ArmyBengal said:

So Risner, an about to be 31 year old OG, who everyone noted was instrumental in having the best line in Burrow's history (that isn't saying much) and has never made more than 4 million in any season he has played dating back to 2019 is going to be problematic?  Let's not forget he actually WANTS to play for Cincinnati ok?

In what fucking universe does any of that sound challenging?
Let me guess....  the Bengals don't value offensive guards still, so they can't make a 2-3 year deal happen at that price.

People should get fired for shit like this.  I hate the Bengals so much.

Fuck you Duke Tobin, you Elmer Fudd looking motherfucker !!

Exactly. I'm willing to bet that the holdup is, these cheap fucks dont want to guarantee anything other than the 1st year. A 31 yr old Guard is looking for security, and not to move towns again next year.

A 3yr $12-15m deal with at least the first 2 years guaranteed (only $8-10m) should get it done. The top Guards are making $20-$20m PER SEASON, and you can get quality play for half that pay over 3 years? WTF?

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Posted

Typical bengals speak: “He’s got decisions to make, and we’ve got decisions to make”

I seriously think they lowballed him.  They take years to get an o-line that works, then they can’t even sign an inexpensive vet to play guard.  

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Posted

When they lose out on Risner, they'll re-sign Cordell Volson and lie to us about how good he's looked in the offseason, and they're excited for his "improved" play. Blah Blah Blah

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Posted

There is just zero reason to not have Risner done at this point.
They've managed to find time to sign Jalen Davis and Kendric Pryor, so it's not like they are on vacation yet.

By all accounts, the average salary for an average starting guard is between $2-$5 million per year.
The Bengals paid him $1.3 million last year and is thought to be somewhere around that this year.

He's going to be 31 years old this year.  
How about a 3 year deal worth $6-$7 million total.  Guarantee half of it and give yourself an out after 2 years.
During that time, draft your future RG and bring him along behind Risner.  Just not that hard.

If they want to up the dollar amount or guaranteed money or structure, fine, but this is a slam dunk easy one.
Bengals always being the Bengals.  At least they are consistent with that.

  • Like 1
Posted

Also, anyone really thinking Maxx Crosby was a feasible option, should cool their jets.

The Raiders are apparently asking for 2 first rounders and a player.
This is basically what the Cowboys got for Micah Parsons in trade.

Thing is, Parsons is two years younger than Crosby.  That difference you ask?
Crosby will be 29 before the start of this season and we know how the Bengals feel about older guys.
I cannot see in any universe where the Bengals would give up that kind of draft capital, a player and then turn around and pay Crosby a market rate contract with guarantees beyond a year or two due to his age.

Honestly even for how much I like Crosby, I don't think I would be thrilled giving that up for him.
If we were picking at the bottom of the 1st round, it may change my opinion, but top 10?
I think I'm good with trying to find a guy in the draft or someone not so pricey.

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Posted

So here's some more from Tobin on Hendrickson and the tag: (emphasis added)

Quote

"And in terms of the tag, we're still moving through that," the de facto GM said. "I don't have a definite answer there. We have resources, and how we deploy them are things that will come out. Unfortunately, this event never really provides me an opportunity to be transparent. It really doesn't because it falls when it falls. We're not gonna announce our intentions for the 31 other teams to know, well, you know, it is or it isn't. And maybe internally, we're still struggling with the dynamic of exactly how to best go about this. That's where we are at the moment."

Regarding the parts I called out in bold, I have just one question: why? Why are they "still moving through this"? Why don't they have a definite answer? Why are they "struggling" to figure out "how to go about this"?

Hendrickson's status this year is not a surprise. It certainly did not creep up on the team. They extended him two years ago, tagged him last year, so there have been extensive contract...well, whatever you want to call them, discussions, complaints, arguments, whatever, going on for the better part of three years.

Yet after all this, by their own admission, they still don't know what they're doing. Still trying to figure it out. Work through it. Find an answer.

JFC. What the **** do these people do all day? It's only the second or third most important personnel question they've faced in the last several years, and those ahead of Trey (Burrow and Ja'Marr) are now behind them. They've had most of a year to find said "definite answer."

But nope, not the Bengals. There's an old expression, with several variants, about clueless people that goes something like, "he couldn't find his ass with both hands, a flashlight and approach radar." Not only can't Duke find his ass, he's still questioning whether he has one and if he should locate it if he does.

Posted

All right, let's cut our fake GM and FO a break and marvel at alleged offensive genius Dan Pitcher for a minute. This from Hobs:

Quote

Maybe having success with Flacco means they put Burrow under center a little bit more. Pitcher's two major takeaways from this month of postseason self-scouting are being more explosive on early downs and better ball security. He says getting under center can open up big plays.

Yes folks, after an offseason of "self scouting," our offensive coordinator, a man being paid a six- or seven-figure salary to run the offense of a professional football team in the National Football league, arguably the planet's most successful sports league, has come to the same conclusion that Bengals fans on the internet came to two years ago.

On behalf of all the fans here and elsewhere who have been screaming this at the team for the past two seasons, I say: welcome to the club, Dan.

Posted

“Struggling with the dynamic of how best to go about this.”

They need to modernize their whole operation.  They can’t figure anything out and these last 2 or 3 off seasons have demonstrated that in spades.  
 

And if anyone thinks there is a grand plan to kill it in FA to bolster the defense, my advice - wake up.

Everything Duke is saying is revealing the status quo is the standard.  “All in but we’re always all in”, etc.  
 

Just my opinion, but having a 90 year old guy as your final decision maker does not lead to effective management.  People that old don’t do anything fast, and they certainly are not open to changing their ways.  This whole shit show leads back to Mike.  

  • Like 1
Posted

People hear about Katie taking over and since she's Mike's daughter, many think "young".
Katie's going to be 61 this year as well.  Not suggesting that 61 is super old, but that's retirement age.
Her viewpoint is going to mirror that of Mike's in more ways than one and isn't changing at 60 years old.

If you think youth is what's needed to change the philosophy of the organization, you better hope the granddaughters of Mike view things differently seeing as how they both work for the Bengals as well.  If not, this shit show is a curse that looks to be passed on for many generations to come.

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Posted

As a just turned 60 year old, I know I wouldn’t be working if I didn’t have to. Especially if I had millions in the bank.  Go find a beach, Katie!

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