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Dear Mr. Brown, As a lifelong Bengals fan, I’m writing this letter not out of anger — but out of deep-rooted passion and concern for a team I’ve stood by through decades of ups and downs. From the heartbreaks of the ‘90s to the electric rise under Joe Burrow, I’ve never stopped believing in what this team could be. And now, for the first time in a generation, the path to a Super Bowl victory is real. But opportunity in the NFL is fragile. Championship windows are short. And I’m deeply frustrated by the sense that this offseason — a critical one — is being wasted. We have a generational quarterback in Joe Burrow. We have a talented, hungry core. And we have the salary cap flexibility to make this roster stronger and keep it intact. Yet instead of bold moves, we're watching the same patterns repeat: a reputation for being overly cautious, for resisting modern contract structures, and for failing to support our talent when it matters most. Two names highlight the current issue: Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart. Hendrickson has been nothing short of elite — a cornerstone of our defense and a relentless force since the day he arrived. He’s outplayed his contract, and instead of being rewarded for his contributions, we’re watching an ugly standoff unfold. Yes, he signed a one-year extension, but he's outplayed that as well. At the same time, our top draft pick, Shemar Steward, remains unsigned — an unforced error that casts a shadow over what should be an exciting infusion of youth and talent. These aren’t just football moves. They send messages — to the locker room, to fans, and to free agents around the league. Right now, that message feels like: “We’re not willing to do what it takes.” That’s not good enough anymore. The Bengals have always prided themselves on loyalty and building from within. But loyalty must go both ways. Players like Hendrickson deserve to feel that. Rookies like Stewart deserve a clean start. And fans — fans who’ve waited decades for this chance — deserve a front office that’s just as hungry as we are. We believe in this team. We believe in this window. We believe in what the Bengals can become. But belief isn’t enough. This moment calls for action, urgency, and a real investment in winning now. Please, don’t let this window close while we play it safe. Sincerely, A Devoted Bengals Fan Here was my prompt: As a long-time Bengals fan I've been very frustrated with how the team is being run. We have a great quarterback and the window to win the franchise's first Super Bowl victory is open now. This was an important off season to really improve the team, but it doesn't seem as if that's happened. The owner of the team, Mike Brown, is notorious for being unwilling to structure contracts in a way that make the Bengals a prime location for free agents. The organization as a whole has a reputation for being cheap. Now they're having contract disputes with two important players and they have the salary cap room to sign them both. Help me write an open letter to the owner voicing my support and frustration on what's going on. Would you like a version of this you can post on social media (with hashtags or a shorter summary), or something formatted for a local news op-ed or fan forum?

Agreed, Safari is looking good!

Let's talk about criteria. I think most teams want as much premium talent as possible. You can't tell me this franchise feels the same...at least their actions don't say they do. You let great players walk out of the door for NOTHING, then try to replace them with D-level free agents and rookies. Then you use your premium picks on guys that most people are lower on that they guys we take. As for the draft, it's fine if teams had Knight in the 3rd and we MAY have missed out on him if we waited. If you missed out they could have gotten Barrett Carter, who it sounds like they had a similar grade on as Knight and were considering in the 2nd. Why not get a top guard AND one of the two linebackers you had rated similarly? Are you telling me a linebacker is more important than a guard who most had rated in the 2nd roundA position that has sucked since Burrow's been a Bengal? The primary reason we don't have a Superbowl victory and at least another SB apperance? You're telling the linebacker position, in terms of value to a winning team, is more important that the offensive line? If that's the case, cool, we'd build teams differently. I'll tell you that the Chiefs, Eagles and a host of other teams the contend every year feel differently. I'm not saying Knight is a bad player, but if he and Ratlidge were rated equally, you'd think one of the main tie breakers would be the value of the position they play. We don't know how any of these guys will preform and they may have made the right picks, but history tells us they didn't. If we didn't have Burrow and Chase, we most likely wouldn't even be sniffing the playoffs at this point because we don't draft well and we don't front office well.

On its face, yes, it’s a silly comment. However, looking at how the Bengals continuously reach for players to fill needs, I’d argue that most of us could do a better job in the first few rounds, just by following a consensus board from the internet. I think the Bengals CAN scout talent, I also think they do a terrible job of overdrafting players to fill needs. There’s a great chance Knight would have been there in the 3rd, maybe even the 4th. Drew Sample was mocked in the 5th - 7th EVERYWHERE. Jackson Carmen…3rd - 4th, Billy Price 2nd - 3rd..these are just a few notable times where the Bengals essentially wasted premium picks to reach and fill a need instead of drafting players that 98% (I made that number up) of people thought were better. On top of that, a lot of times they’re picking non-premium positions. TE, LB…over OL and DL…that’s not how you build a quality football team.

Totally agree, our line looks like it may have some potential as long as we keep Trey. Trey and Steward off of the edge should create pressure...we may need to blitz to collapse the pocket, but I think we have an average line. Last year was below average so we've improved.

If you look at our division, we now have to block Mason Graham/Myles Garrett, Derrick Harmon/Cam Heyward/TJ Watt, Madubuke/Mike Green. Our division drafts really well and...we don't.

I agree with all of this. It's almost silly to say, but they can probably fire their entire scouting department and just go with a Goodberry draft board and come out with better players. That's probably overstated, but it feels that way.

For me the frustration is the entire process of how we draft. 1. We continue to deprioritize guard even though it's been a major weakness for Joe's entire Bengals career. Yes, we've overcome it to an extent, but Joe continues to get beat up and it limits the consistency of this offense. The front office seems to be oblivious to the importance of a firm pocket -- it's like they're stuck in the 90s and 2000s where you could plug any big guy in there and get by. Now with so many teams focusing on interior pressure we can't be 10 years behind the curve before we make this a priority. If you give Joe another half second in the pocket, we probably have a Super Bowl win and another appearance at least. 2. I get it, everyone ranks players differently, but to see our division rivals continuously get guys that the Internet scouts have highly rated for guys much, much lower is super frustrating. There were guys that people on this board and in general loved that we passed on (Tyler Linderbaum, Creed Humphries, Travis Jones, Likely, Malaki Starks, Mike Green, Derrick Harmon, etc.) The guys from this draft we'll have to see how it pans out, but unless it's an obvious pick (Chase, Burrow) we really tend to reach in the early parts of the draft where the premium talent is supposed to be. I know every team has "misses" like this, but we seem to overlook our obvious needs/positional value and try to look like the smartest team in the room when we're not. This year, going for Knight (a linebacker) over Ratlidge (a guard) seems silly. It may workout, but to pass on a (should be higher positional value) for probably the lowest value position on defense is crazy to me. Yes, we got two guards later, but that's a silly risk to take IMO. 3. Lastly, it almost feels like we're wasting Joe's career. He's the best QB we've ever had and it doesn't feel like the team is going all in. We didn't do anything in free agency (and hey, maybe there's no one they like this year), and we seem to draft projects at the top of the draft. When you draft in the middle to end of the draft there are no perfect prospects, but there are guys you feel could make an immediate impact at positions of need w/o reaching. This year, Starks, Harmon, etc. We'll see how it plays out, but the Bengals don't have any equity when it comes to the draft and developing prospects.

I feel like this is where our small scouting department shows its colors. This is in the vein of Billy Price, Cedric Obwehi, Drew Sample and Jackson Carmen. I said the same thing about Shemar Stewart, but that wasn’t nearly as bad as this from a value perspective. they say it only takes one team to fall in love with a player…I guess we’re that team. I hope he turns into a Hall of Famer.

Over or under 4.5 sacks this year?

The problem is you never know how the draft is going to fall. I'd love to get a guard in the 2nd or 3rd round, but it only takes one team to fall in love with someone early and there's a run on that position. There have been plenty of years where there's been a deep position of need and we walk away with nothing. The FO has put us in a position where if there's a 3T or OG rated similarly to other players, you have to take the position(s) of need first.

I think Ratledge will go late first/early second with all of the hype he's getting. Our best bet would be to trade back into the mid-20s and get him there. May be a slight reach, but we've put ourselves in this position to need guards.

I'd argue the defense carried us to the Super Bowl.

In my "dream" scenario, we trade back in the first and get an extra 4th or 5th. Draft Donovan Jackson in the 1st and somehow Derrick Harmon falls to us in the 2nd.

We MAY be able to get Harmon a little later, so if we could trade down from 17 and pick up another 3rd or 4th and still get Harmon in the late 1st that would be ideal.

As of now, we've pigeonholed ourselves in the draft where we need to take an OG, 3T, DE (even if we keep Trey) or LB in the first few rounds. If you're not taking BPA, IMO, you raise the percentage for drafting a bust. I'm still hopefully we can sign 2 OGs (Will Hernandez, Brandon Scherff) and not have as many glaring needs. It sounds like a good DL draft overall so there's potential to turn this into our 3rd best position group overnight.

I don’t get the hype for Shamar Stewart. I know stats aren’t EVERYTHING, but didn’t he only have like 4 sacks in 3 years at A&M? That’s like when we drafted Ogbuehi…he had given up like 9 sacks, at A&M no less, but we were drafting off of measurables and potential and totally ignoring production. That doesn’t mean Stewart won’t have a better NFL than college career, but it does raise a flag for me.

I’d say one…we’ve got an entire defense to rebuild and need to start hitting on these draft picks. Gotta start picking as much D as possible for a better shot to find quality players. Or hire more scouts…

We used to have talent...Awuzie, Bates, Reader, Hilton, Hendrickson, Ogunjobi...you would actually think we were building something...even Eli Apple played well for a 3rd string guy

This makes too much sense. Why not try to fill our needs in the draft with unproven rookies?

I'm as frustrated as anyone with this franchise, but one thing we have to remember is that it takes two parties to agree. Just because a free agent signs for $x somewhere, doesn't mean he would have come here for the same number or even a little more. Now, maybe I just tell myself that as a coping mechanism and I allow the Bengals to affect my life way more than they should...but that's b/w me and my therapist.

I've seen a few early mocks where Will Johnson was still available...it would be hard to pass him up

Don't they get a portion the the TV money as well?

Hahaha, that was my thought too

So frustrating to watch other teams try to get better. I know this has been stated thousands of times, but we have a window with Burrow and if we don't go for it now, we never will. I keep telling myself the front office has a plan, but it's clear they don't. Every minute they wait on these contracts, the price goes up. We should have already had Tee, Ja'marr and Trey locked up...and it's not like this is hindsight...most of us were saying it. Creating holes and trying to fill them isn't a recipe for success and it seems we're just making the same dinner we've made forever.