The 2025 Free Agency Thread

Awfully quiet on the edge rusher front. Doesn’t seem to be much interest in these vets that are available. Maybe it’s true AP is fine with what we have.
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At the same time, those players haven't been moved off the board yet so maybe their demands are just ridiculous.
 
Pretty soon we can approach the Bengals with a Trent Williams special after inflation.

Let’s offer to swap thirds and BRob
 
Hendrickson is a stud. He’s recorded 13 or more sacks in four of the past five seasons, including back-to-back 17.5 sack seasons the past two years. 4 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pro seasons, etc., and his aggressive style is a blast to watch.

He would make most any team better, especially a team like us where he would fill a position of need. I would love to see him in burgundy and gold.

Of course we would need to make sure the price is right, but also that he would be a good fit for DQ’s culture, which has been crucial to our recent success.
 
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Faithful Fan said:
Hendrickson is a stud. He’s recorded 13 or more sacks in four of the past five seasons, including back-to-back 17.5 sack seasons the past two years. 4 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pro seasons, etc., and his aggressive style is a blast to watch.

He would make most any team better, especially a team like us where he would fill a position of need. I would love to see him in burgundy and gold.

Of course we would need to make sure the price is right, but also that he would be a good fit for DQ’s culture, which has been crucial to our recent success.
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Watching his presser today I think he would fit perfectly into the culture. The team still has to pay Terry though and TH wouldn’t be near cheap.
 
Faithful Fan said:
I really have a hard time understanding what happened with Baker Mayfield. He was a first overall draft pick, and he actually won a playoff game for Cleveland in 2020, their first and only playoff victory since 1994.

Then he got hurt and the Browns and the rest of the NFL forgot he was good. Not only did Cleveland let him go to make Watson the highest paid player in football, but the Panthers also let him go in order to trade two first round picks and two second round picks for Bryce Young, then Baker played great in a few games for the Rams, and then it seemed nobody in the NFL wanted him the next season.

I don’t know why everybody decided he was worthless that season, but Tampa got a steal when they signed him to a paltry $4 million contract in 2023. (At the time, I actually thought we should bring him in instead of starting Howell, though now I’m glad we didn’t obviously). All Baker has done since then is lead his team to the playoffs twice, win a playoff game, and make two Pro Bowls.
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Mayfield seems like he's had an inconsistent career. Maybe half of it is his own fault, but it's hard for me to tell. He started good in Cleveland, was on fire when Greggg was head coach, then poor with Kitchens, then great in 2020, then injured but without anyone at the time seeming to realize just how much. Cleveland was stupid to ditch him for Watson, but he looked so bad in Carolina that Darnold at his lowest point was still competing for starts. Then he looked good as a backup on a team that should have been good enough for the playoffs but got derailed by injuries, and went to Tampa because they didn't really have anyone else to replace Brady.

All in all, I'd grade Mayfield as a "pretty okay" QB with flashes of "really good" now and then. But he got drafted as a 1st overall, and it's been a long time since he scared me like a 1st overall should. I think he's got a less flashy Kirk career arc. Doubted, discarded, earns his respect, but will never carry a team the last few steps into a Super Bowl.
 
I'm as reluctant as anyone not wanting to trade picks for players but in this case considering the current state of our Edge room and the player in question - I'd pull the trigger. We need to get a pass rush from our Edge's to compliment what should be a very good interior presence.
 
The Chump Bailey said:
I'm as reluctant as anyone not wanting to trade picks for players but in this case considering the current state of our Edge room and the player in question - I'd pull the trigger. We need to get a pass rush from our Edge's to compliment what should be a very good interior presence.
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I'm wondering how much Cincinatti can be squeezed. They just signed two monster contracts at wide receiver and have Burrow under a third monster deal. I am not sure they can manage another. At some point they may take a lowball offer just to get out of the headache and embarrassment of the situation.

Frankly, I'd love a player swap more than a draft pick. I think Payne and Chris Rodriguez for Hendrickson is fair (to us) and not any worse than a Luka Doncic trade. I'd even throw in a couple hundred dollar gift cards to Arbys.
 
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burgold said:
I'm wondering how much Cincinatti can be squeezed. They just signed to monster contracts at wide receiver and have Burrow under a third monster deal. I am not sure they can manage another. At some point they may take a lowball offer just to get out of the headache and embarrassment of the situation.

Frankly, I'd love a player swap more than a draft pick. I think Payne and Chris Rodriguez for Hendrickson is fair (to us) and not any worse than a Luka Doncic trade. I'd even throw in a couple hundred dollar gift cards to Arbys.
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"We got the meats!" sorry, couldn't resist.
 
burgold said:
I'm wondering how much Cincinatti can be squeezed. They just signed to monster contracts at wide receiver and have Burrow under a third monster deal. I am not sure they can manage another. At some point they may take a lowball offer just to get out of the headache and embarrassment of the situation.

Frankly, I'd love a player swap more than a draft pick. I think Payne and Chris Rodriguez for Hendrickson is fair (to us) and not any worse than a Luka Doncic trade. I'd even throw in a couple hundred dollar gift cards to Arbys.
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It looks like they have $68 million in cap space next year. If they are this cheap, but smart, they could make him play this year and then franchise him.
 
Anselmheifer - Hendrickson has publicly stated that he absolutely will not play this season on the current contract. At this point, every day the Bengals wait, they lose leverage and the asking price in picks will go down. I agree with burgold - this is what happened with Trent: we waited and waited, stalled and didn't work in good faith, and eventually instead of getting a 1st round pick (which many teams would have paid) we got a 3rd.

I have to think Hendrickson is on AP's radar. Just depends on when the Bengals will have their moment of clarity on what they can get for him as well as on Hendrickson's specific asking price. It's always possible that AP just doesn't want to pay what Hendrickson is asking. But IMO he would instantly make our entire defense far better.
 
mistertim said:
Hendrickson has publicly stated that he absolutely will not play this season on the current contract. At this point, every day the Bengals wait, they lose leverage and the asking price in picks will go down. I agree with burgold - this is what happened with Trent: we waited and waited, stalled and didn't work in good faith, and eventually instead of getting a 1st round pick (which many teams would have paid) we got a 3rd.

I have to think Hendrickson is on AP's radar. Just depends on when the Bengals will have their moment of clarity on what they can get for him as well as on Hendrickson's specific asking price. It's always possible that AP just doesn't want to pay what Hendrickson is asking. But IMO he would instantly make our entire defense far better.
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On the other hand I could see Cincinnati not budging out of stupidity and spite, and forcing Hendrickson to play this year or not get paid, sit out and be in the same position next year. Though I would love have him on our team.
 
Chris 44 said:
On the other hand I could see Cincinnati not budging out of stupidity and spite, and forcing Hendrickson to play this year or not get paid, sit out and be in the same position next year. Though I would love have him on our team.
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Yeah it's certainly possible that the Bengals will just be idiots and act out of spite. Hendrickson has said he won't play on his current contract and Cincy can't make him play, but they can fine him for not showing up to camp and then not pay him during the season, as you noted.

But at that point it really would be pure spite, because Cincy isn't really getting much out of it. They lose their All Pro pass rusher for the season (meaning their bad defense just got that much worse), his trade price eventually vanishes, and they get a small amount in fines and not having to pay him in return - and his salary right now is moderate a very small part of their cap.

IIRC Hendrickson has also even floated the possibility of retiring. Seems like a drastic step, but if he truly will stick to his guns and refuse to play, I'd think at some point the Cincy brass would at least try to get something for him. But hey, morons gonna moron. :)
 
mistertim said:
IIRC Hendrickson has also even floated the possibility of retiring. Seems like a drastic step, but if he truly will stick to his guns and refuse to play, I'd think at some point the Cincy brass would at least try to get something for him. But hey, morons gonna moron. :)
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Given the amount a "moderate" NFL contract pays these days, I wouldn't necessarily assume that was a bluff if I was Cincinati. If he has 20, 30, 40 million in the bank he really doesn't need to play another down for him and his family to be set for life.
 
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