Ya Digg?

Not an expert, but from what I have read/heard the difference between what the Bengals are doing and what other teams have done is the vagueness in the contract that the Bengals are using and the extremeness in terms of money. Essentially even trying to take back “guaranteed” money if they release him before the end of the contract

Football is such a weird sport/business because it seems to be the only sport where fans OVERWHELMINGLY side with the billionaire owners. If he signs the current contract it does in fact potentially screw over future players. From what I understand the Bengals have made the wording intentionally vague. It does not say legal trouble makes it so they can void the entirety of the remaining contract, it just says trouble. So they could conceivably look at “trouble” as he showed up late to a couple of meetings, got fined, and now they can use that against him. its an unnecessary thing they are trying to put into the contract. If no other player has ever had this in their contract, why should Stewart accept it in his?

Don’t seems like you’re trying to paint these rookies inaccurate a bad light, but in both cases it’s the team. It’s the team that “overdrafted” the QB, it’s the teams at the top of the second round that gave unprecedented fully guaranteed deals to those guys, it’s the Bengals trying to slide something completely unheard of into their first round pick’s contract. it’s rarely ever a rookie’s fault when these things don’t get signed now (not saying it doesn’t happen) it is almost always the teams trying to put something over on these guys

Back off the caffeine, this is really going overboard

without his injury last year he surpasses those numbers as a rookie-so you actually think he’s going to regress his 2nd year rather than improve

No, they’re going into year 6 with arguably a top 4 QB and outside of 2 WR and an older DE they have nothing. Honestly, what do they have that’s above Buffalo outside of that-their defense IS laughable and so is their offensive line

In mini camp in June? Yes it can, it 100% can

I’m not upset at all, just pointing out how absurd your statements have been. Reading your stuff lately, you seem like it’s a personal attack on you that he wasn’t at OTAs or made some tweets. But that’s cool, deflect if you need to

Who cares right now if he is or isn’t. Guys have done things the “right way” and teams haven’t brought them back. Him leaving after the season doesn’t mean things aged poorly

Wait hold on-you are the same exact dude saying he didn’t handle things the right way. He shows up, which is doing things the right way, and you’re still crapping on him. Come on man, your fight is getting weaker by the second

This Bishop statement is outstanding-PEAK offseason nonsense and I love it! Little evidence to suggest growth-no crap, they’ve had lifting and like 3 OTA practices. Then you compare it to Bernard’s 2nd year that nobody saw coming. Great, nonsensical stuff!!!

This isn't a true statement. It's just not how you would have handled it. The brother thing is also incredibly overplayed. JJ Watt, pulled for TJ Watt to get paid, is that terrible? Same with the Kelce brothers, are they "terrible teammates" as well? Too many people are taking this too personally - it's business, and he and his representation made a business decision (one that many players have used in the past)

Ok so I’ll simplify my question. Would you rather have Bateman for $12 million a year or Cook for $12 million? To me that’s a no brainer-Cook is a much more dynamic weapon than Bateman is and if I had to choose between the 2 I wouldn’t hesitate to pick Cook

You’re right, he’s $10 million a year, not $12 million 🙄 the bigger point I’m trying to make is the impact these guys have on the game. I’ll ask again, what would be considered a successful season stats wise for Palmer (and for Bateman, considering this thread is about his deal)? We know that Cook has an impact on every game, and at this point we are all hoping Palmer has an impact on some games. Also, not really sure how comparing yards is a new thing….1400 yards is 1400 yards

I’m honestly not sure that I did what would someone consider a successful season for Bateman or even the Bills new $12 million WR in Palmer? Is either one going to put up the roughly 1,400 total yards and 8-10 touchdowns that Cook has averaged over the last 2 seasons? I’m not even sure I’m saying Cook should get $12 million a season, but people have to admit, a team’s 3rd to 5th best receiver making that money is kinda crazy at this point

So here’s the Cook question-how is Bateman worth $12 million a year but Cook isn’t? and yes I know they play different positions, it’s apples to oranges, etc

Well first, his last name is Cook. And second……. thats it, that’s literally the whole list

Yeah but remember he dropped a couple of passes a couple of seasons ago, so obviously that means he will always drop them, duh

He’s been a team player for 3 years! This is a negotiating tactic and as a running back he gets one shot at this. You’re making it sound like he’s the first guy to ever do this. Your reaction is valid as a fan, but it’s why you’re a fan and not an executive or agent. He’s not being pouty or a child, it’s actually a calculated strategy. If he gets hurt, it diminishes his value, so he is minimizing risk. I’m sure the team would like to see him there, but they aren’t taking it personally-it’s business I highly doubt he will be there next week, and don’t be surprised if he misses a couple of days of training camp. That being said, he will end up in training camp, some very misguided fans will boo him, he will be there opening day and he will play hard for a contract if he doesn’t get one during training camp. He knows sitting out games isn’t going to get him paid big money

His contract is to play games. How come teams can cut a guy early, ask them to restructure (meaning take less money) and fans are good with that? He gets one real shot at making major money, and this is a negotiation tactic. He’s not going to sit out the season, he will be there when the games start, but people should already be prepared that he might not be seen u til much before that. Doesn’t mean he’s a villain, doesn’t mean people should turn on him (although they will), but the narrative will be painted that he’s a “bad teammate” even though there’s not a single guy in that locker room who will feel that way

This is peak “woe is me” offseason trolling right here. At least make an attempt to make it not so obvious

While true, I would bet they are the top 3-5 teams in terms of tv ratings every single year

Oh cool, another one of these "the guy didn't play well his rookie year so he's never going to be good" threads. Can we, for the love of God, ever actually give these guys a chance before we go all doom and gloom on them?

Just have an issue with your wording. IMO He has earned the right to negotiate for more money. I don’t believe he deserves a massive contract

Unpopular opinion, but let’s be honest, Dion is the epitome of “love him if he’s our guy, hate him if he’s on the other team.” Think about the clientele on this board, if Dawkins played for another team, he would be called obnoxious, overrated, he should just shut up, blah blah blah. We know him, we all love him, but yes, his personality definitely turns other fan bases off