AGrizzlyBaer Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 Just as the Bengals finished introducing their first two free-agent signings of the year, the Jaguars revealed they signed kicker Shayne Graham to an offer sheet, according to The Florida Times-Union. Jacksonsville didn’t reveal details of the deal, but the Bengals have a week to decide if they will match it and keep the kicker that delivered the most accurate field-goal percentage in club history in 2003. Since the Bengals tendered Graham the lowest amount for a restricted free agent - $628,000 _ and since he came into the league as an undrafted free agent, the Bengals wouldn’t get compensation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGrizzlyBaer Posted March 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 damn that kinda sucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengals44 Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 I'd like to know what the numbers on that deal are... We have the right to match and i would suspect that we would do so unless the $$ is somewhat out of hand (for a kicker that is)... I certainly do not want to be in a position where we have to draft a kicker - we better match or have a damn good contingency plan... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 I suspect they'll match. Given how he finally stabilized the position, it'd be foolish not to. Have to see what the deal is, tho... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrishcovga Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 We're gonna have to put up a $ million to keep him I think....We could try to sign Bill Grammatica , he wasn't resigned by the Cardinals... funny thing is.. they signed Neil Rackers to a long term deal late last season.Gotta think Katie and Co. blew this one though. He should have been tendered a higher offer after his performance, cause I seriously doubt that they wanted Travis Dorsch back here...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHO DEY AGAIN? Posted March 4, 2004 Report Share Posted March 4, 2004 With the thought of Rackers still fresh in our minds a million is not a bad price. A sure 3 is a nice card up your sleeve. He'll be back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jditty47 Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 i hope we can resign graham....gramatica sux:\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalszoneBilly Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 i hope we can resign graham I think we will. He seemed steady and capable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalSIS Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 We're gonna have to put up a $ million to keep him I think....We could try to sign Bill Grammatica , he wasn't resigned by the Cardinals... funny thing is.. they signed Neil Rackers to a long term deal late last season.Gotta think Katie and Co. blew this one though. He should have been tendered a higher offer after his performance, cause I seriously doubt that they wanted Travis Dorsch back here...! Will have to put up quite a bit more than that....I won't give exact numbers since the Jags haven't released them, but it's a lot..Hindsight is 20/20, but they would have signed him for WAY less if they had signed him earlier...But I see how they were trying to save some money..Can't really fault them for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevnz Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 I have to admit I'd be very shocked(and horrified) if the Bengals didn't match the offer...I'm sure the Jags put up some serious dosh for Graham, but Marvin know's the value of a good kicker, and the two teams in this past super bowl knows the value of a good kicker.....Spend the damn money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 I won't give exact numbers since the Jags haven't released them, but it's a lot..Hindsight is 20/20, but they would have signed him for WAY less if they had signed him earlier...But I see how they were trying to save some money..Can't really fault them for that. Hey, sis. First off, best of luck to Shayne whatever happens. Not that he appears to need it, of course. He's clearly arrived, at least as far as the NFL is concerned! My bet is that the Bengals didn't expect him to draw much interest, certainly not a cap-busting front-loaded deal, which is what the Florida Times-Union believes it is. I'm sure they thought he'd get a look because of his FG performance, but that his struggles with consistency on kickoffs would keep teams from making offers like this. Clearly, they bet wrong, and now they're either going to have to pay up, or watch a huge hole open up on STs. Idiots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGrizzlyBaer Posted March 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 it was only 625 000 i think they will match it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalSIS Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 it was only 625 000 i think they will match it Read carefully...that was the minimum tender offered by Cinci... not the contract with Jacksonville Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Btrester151 Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 Hey Mike Brown........JUST WRITE THE DAMN CHECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we need to get him back in the orange and black next year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalSIS Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 No word on if Bengals will match By Mark CurnutteThe Cincinnati EnquirerThe Bengals will have to dig deep into their pockets if they plan to keep kicker Shayne Graham. Graham, a restricted free agent, signed an offer sheet with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday on a five-year contract worth $6.5 million - a hefty $3 million guaranteed. Graham's signing bonus is $2 million, the same amount veteran John Kasay received from Carolina to sign a five-year, $7 million contract extension last month. The Bengals offered Graham a one-year tender of $628,000 on Monday. That tender, the lowest amount a team could offer a restricted free agent, brings draft pick compensation in the round the player was chosen. Because Graham was not drafted, the Bengals would not receive any compensation should they choose not to match the Jacksonville offer sheet. If the Bengals had tendered Graham the middle tender, $1.368 million, the team would have received a first-round draft choice as compensation or been able to keep other teams away from Graham in the first place. The Bengals had no comment this morning on Graham's offer from Jacksonville, spokesman Jack Brennan said. The Bengals have until Thursday to decide if they will match it. "It's one of the best contracts for a player at his position and certainly with the most guaranteed money," Rob Roche, Graham's agent, said this morning. Graham, signed off waivers by the Bengals from Carolina on Sept. 1, set a Bengals franchise record for field goal accuracy (22 for 25, 88 percent) in 2003. Even though the team changed his holder in October, Graham also was perfect on 40 extra point kicks. He played a big part in the revitalization of the Bengals' kicking game under first-year special teams coach Darrin Simmons. The Enquirer obtained details about Jacksonville's offer sheet to Graham. The base salaries in Years 1-5 are $700,000; $700,000; $900,000; $975,000 and $1.225 million. If Graham leads the NFL in field goal percentage in 2004 and the Jaguars win their division, the AFC South, the fourth and fifth years of Graham's contract become fully guaranteed. Regardless of Graham's and the team's performance in 2004, $500,000 of each of his Years 4 and 5 salaries are guaranteed. Jaguars' officials wanted to frontload money in Graham's offer to make it difficult for the Bengals to match. Jacksonville's kicker in 2003 was rookie free agent Seth Marler. He was 20 for 33 (.606) and had the league's worst field goal percentage of any regular NFL kicker. Graham earned $375,000 in 2003 on a contract he signed July 26 with Carolina as an exclusive rights free agent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 Thanks, sis. Just saw that story myself.So he's got some guaranteed dough, big deal. The contract is hardly a cap-buster. And about a third of the "guaranteed" money only happen if he kicks (no pun intended) butt in 2004 and we win the division with a rookie QB! I'm cool with those incentives (and will be rooting for Shayne to make every penny).Pay the man, Mikey. You took your chances, got burned, now pay the man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djdannos Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 I would not waste money on a kicker when they still need other positions to be shored up....I watched a lot of college football this year and the Big Ten andthe SEC each had about 4 great kickers who had no problem booting them from 50+ yards....and can prob be had for 4th-7th round pick or as free agents and be as good as Graham...Remember they did not try to many field goals over 45 yards this past year so his percentage was good by the fact that they did nto take chances as many teams these days play for field position over the 3 point potential.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richmond_mat Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 That's a lot of dough to pay a kicker who only does half the job. His kickoffs were rarely deep enough to keep the opposition inside the 25 (only 4 touch backs the whole season). He did kick fieldgoals extremely well, but I don't recall any long game winners. (he was 0 for 2 on 50+)I venture to guess that his bengal days are behind him.The new turf at the stadium should make it much easier to kick so I'm not too concerned about a replacement. He won't be back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalszoneBilly Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 Well are there any decent kickers available in the draft? If we have to break in a rookie kicker, we might as well do it the same year we're breakin' in a new QB! I kinda have a feeling we'll be breakin' in a rookie corner to boot. As long as the line can put some heat on the other teams QB, we might be okay.I'm thinking Marvin has a plan for all this, but is of course tight lipped about it. So far I think the Bengals have done very well, especially considering the cap he had to work under! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 The new turf at the stadium should make it much easier to kick so I'm not too concerned about a replacement. Yeah, Neil Rackers looked real good on paper, too. Graham could use more oomph on the kickoff, but he was money inside 48 yards last year. According to sis, he's been working on the former issue -- it appears to be in his head, he booms 'em in practice -- and on the latter front he was a welcome change from NR.As for the money, he's already tendered at $600K; another half-mil won't break the bank (heck, now that we signed Herring, just pull the tender off Roman or Beckett and voila! $600k more space!).All that said, it wouldn't surprise me if you're right. Mikey will see the words "guaranteed salary" and balk. How many kickers will this be in the last four or five years? Rackers...Dorsch...Graham...now the kid from Iowa, I guess. What a mucking fess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 For billy...if we don't resign Graham, meet our 3rd round pick, Iowa's Nate Kaeding:http://www.kicking.com/members/view.asp?id=nkaeding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalszoneBilly Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 For billy...if we don't resign Graham, meet our 3rd round pick, Iowa's Nate Kaeding:http://www.kicking.com/members/view.asp?id=nkaeding Thanks Joisey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevnz Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 No way do you go with a rookie kicker....damn sure don't waste a draft pick on one when you can simply match the offer for Graham....I think the Jags are counting on The Old Bengals way of thinking.....Marvin ain't letting him leave and then have to waste a pick when there are more pressing needs, I'd bet a dime to a doller that the bengals match...They just let the Jags do the negotiating for them so they can focus on other teams Free agents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrishcovga Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 Well you don't have to worry about Graham anymore.. He resigned with the Bengals. They cut Artrell Hawkins to do it...thank god...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted March 5, 2004 Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 WOO-HOO!!! WOO-HOO!!! WOO-HOO!!! A TWO-FER! Graham stays and TOAST is history!!!!Looks like I start drinkin' early this weekend!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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