* AFC NORTH CAP STATUSES *

[-GoBengals-]

 

Here is what each team is looking at going into 2025:

 

Baltimore Ravens: $11.8 million available. Here are the top cap hitters. possibly restructure or cut andrews? but he had a career high 11 TD's, so prolly not. Marlon is getting old but the dead cap number hurts too. they arent in a great spot.

 

 

Cincinnati Bengals:

 

$59 million, not counting if they drop Rankins and/or stone and restructure hubbard, cappa, etc..seems they could clear another 20mil easily with those 3 even just cutting one and restructuring the other two.

 

 

 

Cleveland Browns:

 

lol... Negative.... -$24 million, if they get that insurance payout AND thats allowed to be deducted from the cap, theyll have about 20 million. do they sell off ward and garrett and restart? they are in a cap shit storm. even just signing picks they are looking at -$35mil

 

god damn

 

 

 

Pittsburgh Steelers.

 

$58 million, about the same spot as the bengals, except they dont have a real QB. a 30mil DE who hasnt had a sack in a month, and a fanbase that wants to fire the coach.

 

they ahve room to play around and sign guys, they could walk away from Heyward if needed. hell watt too. seems silly but Cam is old as fuck, he may do them a favor and retire.. a Guard and TE are the only players on offense in thier top 10. and it shows on the field. 

 

 

 

 

[Shebengal]

Good information. Thanks for posting.

 

Rumors are swirling in Cleveland that Bitonio may retire so that would give them a little cap relief, but over 25% of your cap wrapped up in an injury-ridden QB?? YIKES!

[dex]

He's not wrong.

 

 

[-GoBengals-]

On 1/13/2025 at 8:42 AM, dex said:

He's not wrong.

 

 

 

is he assuming cuts to get the extra 30 million? that would be cappa, rankins and stone im guessing...

 

which is cool but then you need to spend the same or more to replace cappa, rankins and stone. 

[WRAPradio]

7 hours ago, GoBengals said:

 

is he assuming cuts to get the extra 30 million? that would be cappa, rankins and stone im guessing...

 

which is cool but then you need to spend the same or more to replace cappa, rankins and stone. 

You could sign a free agent rookie and get the same production Cappa gave us -- so that leaves that ~30M to replace Rankins and Stone.  Based on what Rankins gave us, that production shouldn't be hard to replace either.

[dex]

Here is a great article on the Cincinnati Bengals and the salary cap situation. Bottom line: Because of their great long-term cap health even with a franchise QB contract, the Bengals still have to ability to extend the stars and add plenty in free agency. 

 

Trying to figure out how much money the Cincinnati Bengals will spend in 2025? You’re in the right place. We can all look at Over The Cap and see that the Bengals are projected to have $47.5 million in cap space with a salary cap of $278.4 million.

But that only tells part of the story. To really understand how the Bengals might spend in 2025, it helps to look back at how they’ve managed their finances over the past five years.

 

Since drafting Joe Burrow in 2020, the Bengals have ranked 21st in total cash spending—about 2% below the league average. Their spending has fluctuated, exceeding the league average in 2020 ($234.5 million vs. $218.8 million) and 2023 ($258.7 million vs. $245.9 million), which coincided with drafting and extending Burrow. However, they spent significantly less than average in 2021 and 2022 ($390 million combined vs. $440.7 million). In 2024, their spending aligned more closely with the average.

In 2020, their biggest cash expense was Burrow, followed by DJ Reader with a big signing bonus, Trae Waynes, A.J. Green, Joe Mixon, Geno Atkins, and William Jackson III. In 2023, big signing bonus payouts for Burrow and Orlando Brown Jr. drove spending.

In 2025, they're scheduled for $186.5 million in cash spend. This can decrease to as low as $142.85 million if the Bengals cut all of the speculated cap casualties (Hubbard, Rankins, Cappa, Pratt, Stone, Moss). Those cuts would leave the Bengals with $89.3 million in cap space as well, per OTC’s numbers. 

Cap space should not restrict the Bengals in 2025 if they continue to modernize. But if they continue to do business the ol’ fashioned way without pushing cap hits into the future, we’ll hear the same stories about pie and cap space estimates that don’t seem to align with reality.

Unfortunately, most NFL cap coverage loses important details, getting lost in average annual salaries and basic cap numbers. Bengals fans have access to excellent cap literacy. We’ve broken it down on Locked On Bengals over the years, resident expert Andre Perotta frequently provides excellent breakdowns, and Joe Goodberry just did a great video focused on offseason priorities: contracts for Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Trey Hendrickson. 

An important piece of the puzzle is cash spending, and to predict the future, tracking teams’ “cash over cap spending” is prescient. Over the last five years, the median NFL team spent about 10.7% more cash than the unadjusted salary cap per year. In that time period, the Bengals spent 8.6% more cash than the unadjusted salary cap.

Assuming the trend holds, if the Bengals 8.6% cash over cap in 2025, they’ll spend ~$300M in 2025. Depending on cap casualties, that leaves $113.5 million to $157.15 million in cash to spend, while Katie and Troy Blackburn navigate the corresponding $47.5 million to $89.3 million in cap space. The exact figures will depend on cuts, but we’ll track their spending throughout free agency to have an idea of how much they have left to spend.

What this cap and cash situation means, practically, is that the Bengals can structure contracts with Chase, Higgins, Hendrickson, or premier unrestricted free agents with big signing bonuses. Signing bonuses are the best way to spend cash and offset salary cap impact, because while they’re effectively paid out immediately, the cap hit is prorated over the life of the contract, up to 5 years.

For example, Orlando Brown’s $31.1 million signing bonus was prorated over the life of his 4-year contract, leaving an annual cap hit of $7.75M along with each year’s salary. He received $33.7 million in cash in 2023, but his cap hit was just $10.4 million.

 

 

Orlando Brown Jr. Contract Breakdown / OverTheCap.com

If the Bengals took this approach with other big contracts, they could turn the roster over in a hurry. They’ve made strides in the way they do business, but if they don’t take steps to spend more competitively after disappointing results, it will be fair to question why they won’t put their money where their mouth is to build a real contender.

 

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/allbengals-insiders-plus/financial-breakdown-an-in-depth-look-at-the-bengals-cap-space-cash-spend-and-ability-to-improve-roster-01jhn9mc033v

[sparky151]

Goodberry made a good point about Burrow's cash flows. The team's actual payments to him drop from 65 mil in 2024 to 35 mil in 2025. So they can pay out 30 mil in signing bonus to Uno or Tee or Trey without having to break a sweat. The cap numbers are more evenly spread for Burrow. 

[-GoBengals-]

14 hours ago, WRAPradio said:

You could sign a free agent rookie and get the same production Cappa gave us -- so that leaves that ~30M to replace Rankins and Stone.  Based on what Rankins gave us, that production shouldn't be hard to replace either.

 

..............why would they want the same production they got from cappa?

 

9 hours ago, dex said:

Here is a great article on the Cincinnati Bengals and the salary cap situation. Bottom line: Because of their great long-term cap health even with a franchise QB contract, the Bengals still have to ability to extend the stars and add plenty in free agency. 

 

Trying to figure out how much money the Cincinnati Bengals will spend in 2025? You’re in the right place. We can all look at Over The Cap and see that the Bengals are projected to have $47.5 million in cap space with a salary cap of $278.4 million.

But that only tells part of the story. To really understand how the Bengals might spend in 2025, it helps to look back at how they’ve managed their finances over the past five years.

 

Since drafting Joe Burrow in 2020, the Bengals have ranked 21st in total cash spending—about 2% below the league average. Their spending has fluctuated, exceeding the league average in 2020 ($234.5 million vs. $218.8 million) and 2023 ($258.7 million vs. $245.9 million), which coincided with drafting and extending Burrow. However, they spent significantly less than average in 2021 and 2022 ($390 million combined vs. $440.7 million). In 2024, their spending aligned more closely with the average.

In 2020, their biggest cash expense was Burrow, followed by DJ Reader with a big signing bonus, Trae Waynes, A.J. Green, Joe Mixon, Geno Atkins, and William Jackson III. In 2023, big signing bonus payouts for Burrow and Orlando Brown Jr. drove spending.

In 2025, they're scheduled for $186.5 million in cash spend. This can decrease to as low as $142.85 million if the Bengals cut all of the speculated cap casualties (Hubbard, Rankins, Cappa, Pratt, Stone, Moss). Those cuts would leave the Bengals with $89.3 million in cap space as well, per OTC’s numbers. 

Cap space should not restrict the Bengals in 2025 if they continue to modernize. But if they continue to do business the ol’ fashioned way without pushing cap hits into the future, we’ll hear the same stories about pie and cap space estimates that don’t seem to align with reality.

Unfortunately, most NFL cap coverage loses important details, getting lost in average annual salaries and basic cap numbers. Bengals fans have access to excellent cap literacy. We’ve broken it down on Locked On Bengals over the years, resident expert Andre Perotta frequently provides excellent breakdowns, and Joe Goodberry just did a great video focused on offseason priorities: contracts for Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Trey Hendrickson. 

An important piece of the puzzle is cash spending, and to predict the future, tracking teams’ “cash over cap spending” is prescient. Over the last five years, the median NFL team spent about 10.7% more cash than the unadjusted salary cap per year. In that time period, the Bengals spent 8.6% more cash than the unadjusted salary cap.

Assuming the trend holds, if the Bengals 8.6% cash over cap in 2025, they’ll spend ~$300M in 2025. Depending on cap casualties, that leaves $113.5 million to $157.15 million in cash to spend, while Katie and Troy Blackburn navigate the corresponding $47.5 million to $89.3 million in cap space. The exact figures will depend on cuts, but we’ll track their spending throughout free agency to have an idea of how much they have left to spend.

What this cap and cash situation means, practically, is that the Bengals can structure contracts with Chase, Higgins, Hendrickson, or premier unrestricted free agents with big signing bonuses. Signing bonuses are the best way to spend cash and offset salary cap impact, because while they’re effectively paid out immediately, the cap hit is prorated over the life of the contract, up to 5 years.

For example, Orlando Brown’s $31.1 million signing bonus was prorated over the life of his 4-year contract, leaving an annual cap hit of $7.75M along with each year’s salary. He received $33.7 million in cash in 2023, but his cap hit was just $10.4 million.

 

 

Orlando Brown Jr. Contract Breakdown / OverTheCap.com

If the Bengals took this approach with other big contracts, they could turn the roster over in a hurry. They’ve made strides in the way they do business, but if they don’t take steps to spend more competitively after disappointing results, it will be fair to question why they won’t put their money where their mouth is to build a real contender.

 

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/allbengals-insiders-plus/financial-breakdown-an-in-depth-look-at-the-bengals-cap-space-cash-spend-and-ability-to-improve-roster-01jhn9mc033v

 

the bengals have done business roughly the same as the entire league for like 10 years. just no one in here noticed.

 

the only thing they dont do is ink worthless years to reach a total number for the player that they have no intention of paying. and they even are teasing that nowadays.

 

its tough, if a guy has a sudden terrible year, like cappa, was it just him falling off a cliff, or was it the rotation of 4 guys next to him, i dunno, thats the teams knowledge and call that as fans we are kept out of.

 

same sort of decision with Stone. i am gettting the feeling Lou pissed off the front off baaaaad by who and how he played guys. it flipped so quockly at the end i almost think they threatened to fire him mid season if he didnt do as they asked. i ahve no insight.. but looking back and hearing rumblings they intended him to play youth early and use vets as backups and he did the opposite until forced...  just a hunch..

 

so who on the defense is actually better than they played due to poor execution by Lou for his own system?

 

so wiping away guys to replace them again and again isnt ideal, and you see almost no teams succeed with that. finding that perfect balance or better than average draft class is how teams get over the edge and to the deep playoffs.

 

fingers crossed they are on the right track.

 

7 hours ago, sparky151 said:

Goodberry made a good point about Burrow's cash flows. The team's actual payments to him drop from 65 mil in 2024 to 35 mil in 2025. So they can pay out 30 mil in signing bonus to Uno or Tee or Trey without having to break a sweat. The cap numbers are more evenly spread for Burrow. 

 

 

they dont have any cash flow issues, they have secured lines of credit as needed.  the cash flow "issues" ended when the nfl stopped forcing teams to escrow funds when deals were signed. so nothing points to actual cash being a problem, its all the cap numbers.

[PatternMaster]

The Bengals need to re-sign Higgins, Chase, Hendrickson, and add more talent. Burrow was right about the window being open as long as he's playing at a high level but the org has maximize the opportunities to win it all that are available to them

[gupps]

49 minutes ago, PatternMaster said:

The Bengals need to re-sign Higgins, Chase, Hendrickson, and add more talent. Burrow was right about the window being open as long as he's playing at a high level but the org has maximize the opportunities to win it all that are available to them

 

If they don't improve the oline Burrow won't be playing like that much  longer. At least not here.  

[sparky151]

14 hours ago, GoBengals said:

 

..............why would they want the same production they got from cappa?

 

 

the bengals have done business roughly the same as the entire league for like 10 years. just no one in here noticed.

 

the only thing they dont do is ink worthless years to reach a total number for the player that they have no intention of paying. and they even are teasing that nowadays.

 

its tough, if a guy has a sudden terrible year, like cappa, was it just him falling off a cliff, or was it the rotation of 4 guys next to him, i dunno, thats the teams knowledge and call that as fans we are kept out of.

 

same sort of decision with Stone. i am gettting the feeling Lou pissed off the front off baaaaad by who and how he played guys. it flipped so quockly at the end i almost think they threatened to fire him mid season if he didnt do as they asked. i ahve no insight.. but looking back and hearing rumblings they intended him to play youth early and use vets as backups and he did the opposite until forced...  just a hunch..

 

so who on the defense is actually better than they played due to poor execution by Lou for his own system?

 

so wiping away guys to replace them again and again isnt ideal, and you see almost no teams succeed with that. finding that perfect balance or better than average draft class is how teams get over the edge and to the deep playoffs.

 

fingers crossed they are on the right track.

 

 

 

they dont have any cash flow issues, they have secured lines of credit as needed.  the cash flow "issues" ended when the nfl stopped forcing teams to escrow funds when deals were signed. so nothing points to actual cash being a problem, its all the cap numbers.

 

The point about a free agent rookie replacing Cappa is to show the bar is pretty low and can be cleared by lots of free agents or draftees. No excuse for the team not to have better guard play in 2025.

 

It's not remotely true the Bengals have done business like the rest of the league for the last 10 years.

 

Bengals did give Riley Reiff a void year, as well as Burrow with several. So there's no reason to be overly conservative in extending Chase, Hendrickson, or Higgins.

 

Bengal apologists have been claiming for years that the lack of contract guarantees after year 1 was due to cash flow issues. That is was why MB took his dad's name off the stadium and sold the rights to Paycor. That our oligarchs didn't have fortunes from other ventures to support their NFL team. You are right that any NFL team is a good credit risk and can borrow pretty freely.

 

 

 

[-GoBengals-]

On 1/16/2025 at 4:17 AM, PatternMaster said:

The Bengals need to re-sign Higgins, Chase, Hendrickson, and add more talent. Burrow was right about the window being open as long as he's playing at a high level but the org has maximize the opportunities to win it all that are available to them

 

well sure.

 

On 1/16/2025 at 5:08 AM, gupps said:

 

If they don't improve the oline Burrow won't be playing like that much  longer. At least not here.  

 

maybe.  he has had i think the 3 "major" injuries.

 

the knee, Jordans fault bad line play.

The calf, untouch in camp on a roll out

The wrist, he got hit by a hand when he threw, but threw after that, then threw again without getting hit at all or even close and crippled over in pain.

 

if youre going to require an offensive line so good that a defender cant even get close enough to reach an arm out youre in for a failed goal.

 

football is gonna keep happening.  i think its clear they spend a good amount of time and resources trying to improve the o-line every offseason. so theyll probably continue that effort.

 

On 1/16/2025 at 12:44 PM, sparky151 said:

 

The point about a free agent rookie replacing Cappa is to show the bar is pretty low and can be cleared by lots of free agents or draftees. No excuse for the team not to have better guard play in 2025.

 

It's not remotely true the Bengals have done business like the rest of the league for the last 10 years.

 

Bengals did give Riley Reiff a void year, as well as Burrow with several. So there's no reason to be overly conservative in extending Chase, Hendrickson, or Higgins.

 

Bengal apologists have been claiming for years that the lack of contract guarantees after year 1 was due to cash flow issues. That is was why MB took his dad's name off the stadium and sold the rights to Paycor. That our oligarchs didn't have fortunes from other ventures to support their NFL team. You are right that any NFL team is a good credit risk and can borrow pretty freely.

 

 

 

 

seems pretty clear they continue to address the oline and this year guard specifically, so i assume theyll continue. also no real signs they intend to be frugal with anything.

 

im not sure fans concerns about cash and guarantees has been. a real thing for a bit, i think we all learned the escrow rule is out the window a year or two ago, we also learned that easily secured loans are there, and now with the devil of private equity investment allowed money is fairly easy to come by and the repayment is guaranteed by the profit sharing.

 

the only thing that would stand in the way of signing the guys they intend to sign is it getting in the wy of fielding enough talent elsewhere.. like most other teams.

 

its such an odd feeling in the fanbase this offseason. the only old tendencies the bengals still seem to have is a great one, in not often risking guys over 30, as they dont tend to pan out far into that age. so thats a call theyll have to make on trey, as he is already 30 and turning 31 mid next season.. so do they keep him at a very high dollar amount going into age 32? he seems to take good care of himself, but i cant imagine the team will want to guaranteed years up front, but they could certain guarantee each year as of the new league year each year so they have an out each year if needed. team also has the leverage, as he is under contract. he can secure a pile now with limited stability in it or risk it all and walk away next year and hope for the best.

 

[sparky151]

The Bengals are pretty poor at evaluating risks of injury or decline. Going back to Antonio Bryant. Someone like Calais Campbell is ancient but still going strong on 1 year deals. The team could have signed him last offseason instead of Rankins. Khalil Mack will pose the same problem this year. He's available and productive, not looking for a long term deal but they will pass on him due to age.

 

 

[-GoBengals-]

2 hours ago, sparky151 said:

The Bengals are pretty poor at evaluating risks of injury or decline. Going back to Antonio Bryant. Someone like Calais Campbell is ancient but still going strong on 1 year deals. The team could have signed him last offseason instead of Rankins. Khalil Mack will pose the same problem this year. He's available and productive, not looking for a long term deal but they will pass on him due to age.

 

 

 

they dont often bother with those in thier 30's, regardless of evaluation injuries and decline are so high at that age its not worth any gamble. 

 

your best bet is to have a player or coach on your staff who was on the team with the player in question the previous year with real inside scoup, everyone else is a liar trying to help a player or themselves (see Bryant) they were told he was good, he passed a physical. The surgery to repair the cartelidge was successful, but the muscles werent strong enough to let him cut properly at full speed by the time camp rolled around. kind of a fluke issue, typically those repairs go fine, that one went fucking horrible.

 

Bryant had the audacity to file a grievance with the bengals for not offering an injury settlement after cutting him with his 8 mil guarantee he left with.

[sparky151]

Calais Campbell played in 17 games last year. He had 5 sacks, 12 QB hits, 5 passes defensed, 1 fumble forced, and 12 tackles for loss. He also played for $2 mil. But instead we signed Rankins for 6 times that and less than half the productivity. Perhaps Duke should learn from his mistakes. 

[-GoBengals-]

On 1/20/2025 at 1:14 PM, sparky151 said:

Calais Campbell played in 17 games last year. He had 5 sacks, 12 QB hits, 5 passes defensed, 1 fumble forced, and 12 tackles for loss. He also played for $2 mil. But instead we signed Rankins for 6 times that and less than half the productivity. Perhaps Duke should learn from his mistakes. 

 

good grief man.

 

we got the crystal ball theory combined with opposite circumstance results for the ultimate in unrealistic and unrelated series of events....

 

1. whose to say calias campbell wants anything to do with playing and living in Ohio/Kentucky? 

2. he was probably the worst defender on that front 4? Nick Chubb, Chop is a first round DE, Phillips a first round DT. he wouldnt have likely done shit on this DL with Bj hill and hurt hubbard next to him.

3. he is old as fuck, cheap as fuck and keeps floating to different teams, 3 teams in the last 3 seasons. even the teams who have him didnt want him again, even at 2 mil? whats everyone missing?  you could say he was chasing rings, but he chose atlanta and miami so thats a tough sell.

 

im guessing if rankins was in between 3 first round pick stud DL in miami and Campbell was on the bengals tattered and young and hurt DL, rankins probably gets better stats than Campbell and probably doesnt get the lung infection, and campbell is probably washed and we are in here complaining they brought it an expired retread instead of getting someone for $10mil like Rankins.

 

Derrick Henry probably doesnt rush for 1900 yards if he is on the Panthers, right?

 

Jamarr Chase dosnt sniff a triple crown if his QB is anthony richardson, right?

 

so how is it Campbell would ahve got those stats for sure on a way worse team of complentary players? and Rankins would ahve been terrible and got a lung infection anywhere?

 

I dont see why we cant seems to differentiate between "what decisions were made" and "how these decisions turned out" because they are very different things. 

 

Rankins was a sound pickup, Campbell is like 38, but Duke needs to learn from his mistakes i guess...

[T-Dub]

On 1/20/2025 at 12:14 PM, sparky151 said:

Perhaps Duke should learn from his mistakes. 

 

Why should he ever do that? Will something bad happen if he continues? After how many years?

[-GoBengals-]

2 minutes ago, T-Dub said:

 

Why should he ever do that? Will something bad happen if he continues? After how many years?

 

 

this whole fanbase is on crazy pills.

[T-Dub]

1 minute ago, GoBengals said:

 

 

this whole fanbase is on crazy pills.

 

Because no one in the organization has ever made a mistake or should be upgraded. You were on this exact same shit about Anarumo 2 weeks ago.

 

Take your medicine. 😆

[sparky151]

1 hour ago, GoBengals said:

 

good grief man.

 

we got the crystal ball theory combined with opposite circumstance results for the ultimate in unrealistic and unrelated series of events....

 

1. whose to say calias campbell wants anything to do with playing and living in Ohio/Kentucky? 

2. he was probably the worst defender on that front 4? Nick Chubb, Chop is a first round DE, Phillips a first round DT. he wouldnt have likely done shit on this DL with Bj hill and hurt hubbard next to him.

3. he is old as fuck, cheap as fuck and keeps floating to different teams, 3 teams in the last 3 seasons. even the teams who have him didnt want him again, even at 2 mil? whats everyone missing?  you could say he was chasing rings, but he chose atlanta and miami so thats a tough sell.

 

im guessing if rankins was in between 3 first round pick stud DL in miami and Campbell was on the bengals tattered and young and hurt DL, rankins probably gets better stats than Campbell and probably doesnt get the lung infection, and campbell is probably washed and we are in here complaining they brought it an expired retread instead of getting someone for $10mil like Rankins.

 

Derrick Henry probably doesnt rush for 1900 yards if he is on the Panthers, right?

 

Jamarr Chase dosnt sniff a triple crown if his QB is anthony richardson, right?

 

so how is it Campbell would ahve got those stats for sure on a way worse team of complentary players? and Rankins would ahve been terrible and got a lung infection anywhere?

 

I dont see why we cant seems to differentiate between "what decisions were made" and "how these decisions turned out" because they are very different things. 

 

Rankins was a sound pickup, Campbell is like 38, but Duke needs to learn from his mistakes i guess...

 

Bradley Chubb didn't play a snap last season. More significantly Sheldon Rankins has never been as good a player as Calais Campbell. Every year of Rankins' career, Campbell was a better player. When the better player wants less money and is famously a high character guy, sign him. But apparently Duke has a rule against signing older players even if the younger player isn't as good. It's time to reconsider such rules if it hurts the team. 

[-GoBengals-]

1 hour ago, sparky151 said:

 

Bradley Chubb didn't play a snap last season. More significantly Sheldon Rankins has never been as good a player as Calais Campbell. Every year of Rankins' career, Campbell was a better player. When the better player wants less money and is famously a high character guy, sign him. But apparently Duke has a rule against signing older players even if the younger player isn't as good. It's time to reconsider such rules if it hurts the team. 

 

chubb aside, Cmapbell was sandwiched between 2 first right talents, Rankins, the 5 minutes he was healthy, was sandwiched between A palyer we got in trade for Billy Price, and an injured sam hubbard. so im gonna stick with my point of the very differnt scenarios leading to the very differnt outcomes more so than a bad call.

 

outcome based criticism has validity, but its a generic "just didnt get the job done" which even the best Gms on the planet are guilty of every season they dont get a ring, and even then the best GMs in the world are going against luck, health whatever else the whole league goes through.

 

when i think of Bad GM moves i think of Giving daniel jones 140 million and not keeping Barkley, i think of franchising the future for an old drugged up fortunet teller like Aaron rodgers, i think of giving COusins a trillion dollars to come save your franchise THEN drafting a first round QB who wasnt even good in college, I think of giving a sex offender the biggest cashpot in the world and then doubling down on bad weapon contracts then tripling down moving cap dollars around wrecking the franchise in cleveland.   Taking a medium pay above average DT over a nearly 40 year old no one seems to want that we never even likely had a chance at, doesnt really even register on the poor gm moves list.

 

 

[PatternMaster]

On 1/21/2025 at 7:29 PM, GoBengals said:

 

chubb aside, Cmapbell was sandwiched between 2 first right talents, Rankins, the 5 minutes he was healthy, was sandwiched between A palyer we got in trade for Billy Price, and an injured sam hubbard. so im gonna stick with my point of the very differnt scenarios leading to the very differnt outcomes more so than a bad call.

 

outcome based criticism has validity, but its a generic "just didnt get the job done" which even the best Gms on the planet are guilty of every season they dont get a ring, and even then the best GMs in the world are going against luck, health whatever else the whole league goes through.

 

when i think of Bad GM moves i think of Giving daniel jones 140 million and not keeping Barkley, i think of franchising the future for an old drugged up fortunet teller like Aaron rodgers, i think of giving COusins a trillion dollars to come save your franchise THEN drafting a first round QB who wasnt even good in college, I think of giving a sex offender the biggest cashpot in the world and then doubling down on bad weapon contracts then tripling down moving cap dollars around wrecking the franchise in cleveland.   Taking a medium pay above average DT over a nearly 40 year old no one seems to want that we never even likely had a chance at, doesnt really even register on the poor gm moves list.

 

 

 

So BJ Hill is a scrub to fit your argument..got it. U have this misguided and delusional view that the Bengals are doing everything they can to field the best team possible and we both know that's not true, it's never been true.

 

Not sure why you feel compelled to carry water for the Bengals front office and ownership group when the facts point to a different reality.

[-GoBengals-]

On 1/22/2025 at 2:13 AM, PatternMaster said:

 

So BJ Hill is a scrub to fit your argument..got it. U have this misguided and delusional view that the Bengals are doing everything they can to field the best team possible and we both know that's not true, it's never been true.

 

Not sure why you feel compelled to carry water for the Bengals front office and ownership group when the facts point to a different reality.

 

 

lol, im just realistic. i have better shit to do than build fake rage over a sports team and want people fired for no reason. There was a time when the bengals staff and front office needed some firings. that was a pretty long time ago. youre a small market franchise in an unattractive city to MOST staff and athletes. 

 

Should i be running to facebook and saying shit like "why didnt they sign AJ BROWN?!?!?!?" or some such shit.... not a single one of these motherfuckers has any idea why the team reached out to, had a chance at, got shot down that they didnt wanna play in cincy, etc.. no clue at all... so wtf would i spend my time like that for?

 

there is X amount of money to spend under the cap. they were 5.9mil under the cap, and between 6-9mil under it yearly, this isnt 2002 and the bengals are 35% under the cap.

 

so they are spending.

 

wanna argue they could spend better? sounds goo,d 32 teams could all spend better. you name a team ill list the shitty free agents and draft picks that didnt pan out.

 

when shit doesnt work out, like a pick or a free agent.... thats how the league goes, thats the sport, what kind of lame asshole am i supposed to be? going on social media saying people need fired becasue things happened that happens to every nfl team.

 

dumbass fans see teams "doing something about it and holding people accountable" as the beloved quote always goes...

 

and all those teams do is hold people accountable, they sure as fuck dont win or succeed.

 

Jets, Giants, Bears, Raiders, Jags, browns, panthers, falcons.

 

prime examples of teams who constantly fire coaches and GM's, and constantly make big splashes and signings. hows that going?

 

there is no science to this, the most successful teams lock in a good coach and QB who work great together and build the peices around it. 

 

I hate to tell you, there will be more busted picks and more flopped FA signings, for every team in the league.....  no one cares.. they just want to bitch.

 

and because i dont wanna bitch im the problem?

 

im fucking 43... the fuck am i gonna be doing whining on a message board and social media for? 

 

there are 32 teams, 12 have NEVER won a superbowl... but i should be outraged about something... 38% of the league has never done it. but heads should roll becasue the team had a bad defensive season?

 

god damn its fucking exhausting...  bitch all you want... im going to enjoy the sport the way i enjoy it.. you bitch and call for heads to roll i guess.  sounds awesome.

[T-Dub]

Questioning a GM that's been here 25 years = wanting to fire people all the time?

 

Even the best "roster guru" HoF types don't stay in the same place that long.

[PatternMaster]

20 hours ago, T-Dub said:

Questioning a GM that's been here 25 years = wanting to fire people all the time?

 

Even the best "roster guru" HoF types don't stay in the same place that long.

 

 

Paul H. Brown is the VP of Player Personnel. In his role, Paul H. Brown assists Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin in various job responsibilities, including contract negotiations with free agents and players.

 

His only qualification is being Paul Brown's grandson, no other franchise would employ him that position. 

 

This is the major problem with Bengals, they are ran like family business whose main objective is to make money for the family members..not put the best product on the field and win a championship. 

 

Here's an interesting article about the Brown family from 10 years ago, since that time not much has changed. 

 

https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/sports-3/inheritance/

 

"PB—as everyone called him—was clearly the man in charge, but the ownership was a family affair. Mike and Pete, two of Paul’s sons, were constantly around—games, practices, coaches’ meetings—despite the fact that few players or media members knew what their actual job descriptions were. “[Mike] played no specific role that I recognized,” says Trumpy. “He was just there, and we knew he was Paul’s son. Pete: same thing. We knew he was a scout, but we didn’t know where he scouted, who he scouted. No idea.”