BlackJesus

Bengals are locked and loaded if they want to move up ...

PFFs final rankings ...

Ghetto Gronk going hard in the paint ...

I started us off. 😉

The best day of the NFL calendar (in my opinion) is finally here. This is your thread to discuss all the NFL news leading up to the Bengals first pick tonight.

The Chiefs trading up for Mims right after the Bengals is nightmare fuel. Then he goes on to the Hall of Fame with Kermit and a trivia question becomes "Who chose right before that pick?" It reminds me of when the Bengals took John Ross with the pick right before Mahomes was drafted. 🫠

I'm sure the Bengals front office were not happy with the timing of this, the night before they go on the draft clock. It was unnecessary to announce this now, especially as they can't even extend Trey for 3 more months per NFL rules anyway. It also caused Tee's rat-faced agent Mulugheta to reiterate his demand for a trade as well, so now the media is running with the "2 Bengals stars both want out, what's wrong in Cincy?" narrative. 🙄

The Bengals controlled Browning's rights for the next 2 seasons exclusively, whether he liked it or not, as he is only counted as having played 1 year in the NFL (despite being in the league for several years). So they could have given him minimum deals the next 2 seasons, like an undrafted free agent and he would have to wait for each season to get that. Now, they have given him a 2 year contract, likely with a bump in pay (that they didn't need to do) and a little bonus, since he's made little in the NFL so far. He had to sign it, as he has no leverage at all. Basically, they gave him some security and more pay to keep him from being bitter about not getting to start for another team. And he accepted, as he realized he didn't have any other choice.

Yeah, on the open market Trey would get 25 a year instead of 15, but that pay difference exists all the time when a player takes the security of a longer term deal like Trey did. In a few years, Burrow will be underpaid as his deal reaches its last 2 years as well.

Yikes! The Bengals can't even give him a new deal for 3 more months even if they wanted to. Trey needs to fire his agent. 🤡

Ok now hold up ... I would definitely do that deal!

The retirement threat to me looks really bad on Trey, as that's like the 'nuclear option' in negotiations and makes the team not want to even listen to you after that. The idea that a 29 year old player who just had his best year would quit and make $0 rather than $15 million because he thinks he deserves $20 million is absurd. And if he wants to do the "I'll take my ball and go home" baby shit, then Duke should just laugh in his face.

Trey: "You need to pay me more money or I'll just quit playing altogether." Mike: (leans forward slowly and whispers) "Did you forget who the fuck you're talking to?"

There's nothing stopping Trey's agent from leading with that headline right now, if that indeed were the case. It would certainly help his client's standing in the public eye, since right now most Bengals fans on twitter are turning on him fast. The Bengals made a bet on him with a reasonable 4 year deal that he would blossom into a star. He then did. End of story. They don't need to now bet against themselves and erase their leverage for making the right gamble.

If Trey says he will retire rather than play for 15 million this season, I hope the Bengals call his bluff. Thankfully Mike Brown is exactly the right guy for that game of chicken. Especially as this is bigger than one player and goes to the foundation of all the team's contracts.

Nobody has said anything about the Bengals going back on a verbal deal, including Trey. He signed an extension and then had a career year so thinks it should get him another raise. But the team can't give every player a yearly raise who outperforms their contract, especially with a salary cap. He made the wrong bet on himself by accepting too little and now wants a mulligan. Tough shit.

Now he's threatening Retirement! 😵‍💫 Fuck off!

The Bengals bet him on being a star player and won the bet. Fair and square. The players can't win every contract.