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What should we be paying Andre? (He reportedly wants $9 million per year)


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I hope he's not playing a game of chicken with the Bengals  with the draft dates.   A little more than a month for the Bengals to draft, could he be playing the value of them locking down a spot prior to the draft to get a little more gauranteed?

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I hope he's not playing a game of chicken with the Bengals  with the draft dates.   A little more than a month for the Bengals to draft, could he be playing the value of them locking down a spot prior to the draft to get a little more gauranteed?

 

 

can't see it.  He's got a good agent and that only works with a team with major holes, which the Bengals don't.

 

Any agent worth a grain of salt knows their client's value goes down after the draft when their potential replacement is drafted.

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I hope he's not playing a game of chicken with the Bengals  with the draft dates.   A little more than a month for the Bengals to draft, could he be playing the value of them locking down a spot prior to the draft to get a little more gauranteed?

 

Nobody wins at chicken with Mike Brown.

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i don't know what is going on with Andre.  Maybe its as simple as he is on Spring Break with friends or family and will complete a deal soon.

Maybe he is close to signing and just finishing the details.  Who knows.

 

My biggest fear is not resigning Andre.  He might be the best at his spot right now in the NFL. 

 

My biggest fear is resigning an unhappy Andre.  An Andre that is pissed because he thinks he should have received more, still pissed over his rookie deal or whatever.

 

If he has an attitude about the whole thing I hope they go in another direction.

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I have been taking comfort in the lack of movement on both sides.. The Bengals don't appear to be shopping for tackles, and Andre hasn't scheduled any visits.. I think it's going to happen, both sides know it, and they are just hashing out the details.

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I dont know what his agent is waiting for, as suprised as I am by it, there is no market for him, and the longer he waits the less money hes likely to get at all.

I don't know about that.  There was a market for him, just not at the price his agent was asking.  Fact is the closer we get to draft day the more inclined the Bengals are to get him signed.  No way they want to show up at the podium day one without him being signed either here or somewhere else.

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I don't know about that.  There was a market for him, just not at the price his agent was asking.  Fact is the closer we get to draft day the more inclined the Bengals are to get him signed.  No way they want to show up at the podium day one without him being signed either here or somewhere else.

 

 

there's probably more worry from his agent that he's not signed before the draft.  It's a deep OT class and there's already no market for his client.  With two high picks the Bengals know they can grab a Fluker, Watson or Long.  His agent knows it too.

 

 

There's no way his agent wants this to drag on past the draft.

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Mike Brown on Andre Smith: “They know that we want to make a deal and we want them to engage and get it done.”

That quote does not sound positive at all to me. Still have a feeling that Andre thinks we "disrespected" him by lowballing our first offer and is hoping for any other team to step up with something reasonable so he can take it.

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Nobody wins at chicken with Mike Brown.

 

Hasn't stopped players from trying which is what I'm worried about.   I hope this doesn't get standoffish and we enter draft with a hole to fill.

 

Whether they win or not doesn't matter in this case. 

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there's probably more worry from his agent that he's not signed before the draft.  It's a deep OT class and there's already no market for his client.  With two high picks the Bengals know they can grab a Fluker, Watson or Long.  His agent knows it too.

 

 

There's no way his agent wants this to drag on past the draft.

 

This is true but  Mike Brown could easyily get fed up and close the door and go draft a RT. 

 

At this point I'd rather have Andre then use picks for LBs, S, and RB

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Hasn't stopped players from trying which is what I'm worried about.   I hope this doesn't get standoffish and we enter draft with a hole to fill.

 

Whether they win or not doesn't matter in this case. 

 

Oh, I realize that.  But Andre lost the last time he tried, I'd hope he would know better already.

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I haven't seen or heard anything reliable to make me think Andre is butthurt about his rookie contract. And not picking up his option just means he got to be an unrestricted free agent two years sooner. I still think his CAA agent is playing some game with his three OT clients. It didn't work with Jake Long, And its not working with Andre Smith or Sebastian Vollmer. Good luck with that. Mike Brown will never blink first.

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I haven't seen or heard anything reliable to make me think Andre is butthurt about his rookie contract. And not picking up his option just means he got to be an unrestricted free agent two years sooner. I still think his CAA agent is playing some game with his three OT clients. It didn't work with Jake Long, And its not working with Andre Smith or Sebastian Vollmer. Good luck with that. Mike Brown will never blink first.

 

 

I think that's a pretty good guess - hold out in the hope that one of the three lands the big contract that gives you leverage for the other two.

 

I'm sure there's all sorts of strongly-worded language in the CBA about collusion, but if the owners get together and set a price between them, that's pretty much the end of it as far as negotiation goes.  The agents can drag their heels and hope an Oakland or Washington is willing to hand over a blank check, but otherwise they're really at the mercy of the teams.

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I think Andre wants more money than Mike Brown is willing to give or is reluctant to adhere to an incentive laden contract. Certainly the Bengals are pointing to the entire scope of his career as evidence that he shouldn't be overpaid. The guy was out of shape and/or hurt for roughly 50% of his rookie first round contract. His only really complete and good season was last season, in a contract year.  I don't want to lose him but will understand if and why we do.

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I think whats going on is the market isnt what Andre or his agent thought.  Mike Brown now still wants a long term deal but I bet Andre and his agent are looking more short term so they can hit the market again in the next couple of years and try and cash in then.  Andre thinks hes worth 9 mil so he doesnt want to be locked into 7 mil for 5 years.  He may sign something like a 2 yr 15 mil deal and want to hit the market in 2 years and get his 9-10 mil average then.

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I think whats going on is the market isnt what Andre or his agent thought.  Mike Brown now still wants a long term deal but I bet Andre and his agent are looking more short term so they can hit the market again in the next couple of years and try and cash in then.  Andre thinks hes worth 9 mil so he doesnt want to be locked into 7 mil for 5 years.  He may sign something like a 2 yr 15 mil deal and want to hit the market in 2 years and get his 9-10 mil average then.

 


Isn't there supposed to be some huge TV contract-based increase to the cap in a year or two? Because if not, I don't see him getting $9m no matter when he hits FA. 

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Isn't there supposed to be some huge TV contract-based increase to the cap in a year or two? Because if not, I don't see him getting $9m no matter when he hits FA. 


Probably not too big of a bump. They said they are going to keep it pretty smooth.

The big thing that is keeping the cap so low is the cost of health insurance and the future benefits and health coverage that the NFL provides. The cost of that part of player compensation is going up at a higher percentage each year than the income coming in,which is keeping the salary portion of player compensation low.

In fact, I think they have been using some accounting gimmicks and borrowing from future years just to keep the cap from not going down the last couple years.
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Joe Reedy ‏@joereedy6m
Mike Brown on Andre Smith: “They know that we want to make a deal and we want them to engage and get it done.”


This is actually congenial MB. In his really hardball years, he rarely spoke about player contract negotiations...other than very bland or really pithy comments. I was at Wilmington in summer of '88. A reporter was asking MB where the contract negotiations with (1st Round pick) Rickey Dixon were at. MB said "they are in Oklahoma. (where Rickey was)".
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This is actually congenial MB. In his really hardball years, he rarely spoke about player contract negotiations...other than very bland or really pithy comments. I was at Wilmington in summer of '88. A reporter was asking MB where the contract negotiations with (1st Round pick) Rickey Dixon were at. MB said "they are in Oklahoma. (where Rickey was)".

 

The way Rickey Dixon played, too bad he didn't stay there.

 

But back to the topic... I am surprised about the lack of interest elsewhere in the NFL for Andre Smith.

Red flags?

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Truth be told I wouldn't even pay him the 7 or so million that many are saying is his market. 

To me he's another broken foot waiting to happen.  I don't trust Smith.  I like him as a player

and think he's very solid I just don't value the right tackle position as some do.  From the takes

of things it looks as if he would like to move on if possible.  But for continuity sake I understand

the reason for the possible signing. 

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And yet, there have been no factual evidences of Andre wanting to "move on". And why would he really? He will be a very well- paid respected by his coaches starting offensive lineman on a two-years in a row playoff team that is still rising. Just what would cause a wish to "move on" from that? Only a quantum disparaging of money gaps...and that doesn't look to be happening.
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