The 2025 Free Agency Thread

Shemar Stewart was taken at #17, is only 21 and was rated an immediate starter and potential pro bowler down road as prospect.

Assuming we will not get back to the mid teens in picks in the next couple of years this is a player we should at least consider talking to team about.
 
Why would the Bengals even be open to that conversation? They used their 1st round pick on the kid. Sure, he has yet to sign (which in and of itself might be a giant red flag), but that seems like something likely to be worked through although I'll confess I have not been following what's going on.

Just seems highly unlikely the Bengals would want to move on from that kind of player because of signing challenges, and if they were open to it, they'll want compensation based on his potential (and we know 'potential' in terms of where someone was drafted frequently doesn't equate to what actually happens).

What am I missing?
 
Boone said:
Why would the Bengals even be open to that conversation? They used their 1st round pick on the kid. Sure, he has yet to sign (which in and of itself might be a giant red flag), but that seems like something likely to be worked through although I'll confess I have not been following what's going on.

Just seems highly unlikely the Bengals would want to move on from that kind of player because of signing challenges, and if they were open to it, they'll want compensation based on his potential (and we know 'potential' in terms of where someone was drafted frequently doesn't equate to what actually happens).

What am I missing?
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The Bungles are stubborn AF. Stewart is right. They’d rather win an argument than win games.

The Bengals will never trade Stewart, and I don’t expect them to trade Hendrickson either. They’ll probably make Hendrickson play this year, and then franchise him again, to prove a point.
 
You may be 100% right
 
Anselmheifer said:
The Bungles are stubborn AF. Stewart is right. They’d rather win an argument than win games.

The Bengals will never trade Stewart, and I don’t expect them to trade Hendrickson either. They’ll probably make Hendrickson play this year, and then franchise him again, to prove a point.
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Call me crazy but perhaps that’s not the worst idea with Hendrickson. He makes 21 mill this year, and a franchise tag next year will be somewhere between 35 and 40. Probably 40 by the following year. Right now he’s asking for 35+ on a three or four year contract and wants it mostly guaranteed. Seems like they could go year to year with a couple of franchise tags and end up paying less, while also having the ability to get out if his play falls off a cliff. By that time he’s 33 going on 34. Admittedly, I don’t fully understand this and my numbers may be way off.

I suppose he could hold out and not play, but I will think a lot less of him if he does. I guess I just have a hard time automatically taking the players side in these situations. He is under a contract that he signed this year for 21 million dollars. 21 mil! Righteous bucks where I come from. Is that number ‘below market’ now for his skill set? Yes it is. But keep in mind he got the security of a multiyear contract leading up to it. And the Bengals surely over paid for the first couple years, and now get a little bit better deal on the backend. Something that was needed with their big three on offense all needing to be signed.

As for Stewart, I thought Rookie first round picks had preset slotted salaries. So I’m not sure what it is he’s holding out for? Maybe someone can help me out with this one…
 
HTTR said:
Call me crazy but perhaps that’s not the worst idea with Hendrickson. He makes 21 mill this year, and a franchise tag next year will be somewhere between 35 and 40. Probably 40 by the following year. Right now he’s asking for 35+ on a three or four year contract and wants it mostly guaranteed. Seems like they could go year to year with a couple of franchise tags and end up paying less, while also having the ability to get out if his play falls off a cliff. By that time he’s 33 going on 34. Admittedly, I don’t fully understand this and my numbers may be way off.

I suppose he could hold out and not play, but I will think a lot less of him if he does. I guess I just have a hard time automatically taking the players side in these situations. He is under a contract that he signed this year for 21 million dollars. 21 mil! Righteous bucks where I come from. Is that number ‘below market’ now for his skill set? Yes it is. But keep in mind he got the security of a multiyear contract leading up to it. And the Bengals surely over paid for the first couple years, and now get a little bit better deal on the backend. Something that was needed with their big three on offense all needing to be signed.

As for Stewart, I thought Rookie first round picks had preset slotted salaries. So I’m not sure what it is he’s holding out for? Maybe someone can help me out with this one…
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Commenting on the first part, yes i believe hendrickson has said he will hold out and not play under his current deal otherwise im quite sure thats exactly what the bengals would do.

I tend to side more with the players, contracts are not guranteed, teams get out of them all the time when theres no gurantees left so i have little sympathy for the teams when suddenly they want the players to honor something they refuse to regularly.

As to the stewart holdout thats about offset language regarding future gurantees or something, its usually a formality because the rest of the contract is based off the slot he was chosen but its the bengals and they do this all the time so they dont get the benefit of the doubt from me on this one.
 
I am really surprised that Joe Burrow signed a long term deal with this mickey mouse operation.

So, they now have 3 of the most highly paid players in the NFL at their positions but what about the other 50 roster spots?

I guess they believe a quarterback and two wide receivers is all you need to win.
 
Bulldog said:
I am really surprised that Joe Burrow signed a long term deal with this mickey mouse operation.

So, they now have 3 of the most highly paid players in the NFL at their positions but what about the other 50 roster spots?

I guess they believe a quarterback and two wide receivers is all you need to win.
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Especially after having a bottom 5 defense last year and seeing Mahomes and Allen get further with nobody at WR.
 
Bulldog said:
I am really surprised that Joe Burrow signed a long term deal with this mickey mouse operation.

So, they now have 3 of the most highly paid players in the NFL at their positions but what about the other 50 roster spots?

I guess they believe a quarterback and two wide receivers is all you need to win.
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He had to. He had no choice.

The Bengals could give him the extension and money after year 3. If he hadn’t signed a long term deal, he would have had to play out his rookie contract, including the. 5th year option + probably 2 franchise tags before he could hit free agency.

That’s 7 years before he could get a long term deal. He was drafted in 2020. This coming season would be his first franchise tag season.

Going that route would probably have cost him $100 million dollars which he would never get back.

He could have demanded a trade but the Bengals could have just held their ground and said “you’ll play for us or nobody.” Which is probably what they would have done.


However, now that he’s been paid, if I were him, I would not sign a second deal. Then they would have to franchise him, trade him or let him leave.
 
These legacy kids running organizations in Cincinnati and Arizona give fans almost no hope.

After 60 years of futility the Lions finally have a contender on the field.

Ford is finally letting a good GM work without meddling.
 
I wonder what Terry McLaurin’s number is to get a deal done?

Some reports have him asking for $37M AAV, which for a 30 year old receiver with less than 1,100 yards in 2024 is extremely high.

More than Lamb or Jefferson and right behind Chase?

That’s too much.

He drove a hard bargain 3 years ago but we are here now because Washington didn’t want to give him a longer term deal then.

Ideally you take a receiver to 31/32 and then allow them to test free agency.
 
Terry is my favorite player, but 30 million is plenty. Maybe 33 based on intangibles. If they are offering something in that range and he holds out from training camp, I will be very disappointed in him. I don’t even know why we’d even be talking about better receivers who are much younger like Chase, he shouldn’t be anywhere near that range.
 
Idc about AAV at all. Show me the guaranteed money and how it’s structured everything else is noise to me.

Ps. Idc about that either. Whatever the contract is Terry will be here and most of us will likely be very happy with that outcome. Regardless of the crooked numbers.
 
RandyHolt said:
Pay TMC his money and then convert the salary to a bonus to circumvent the cap. Old School.
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Yeah, but there is a point where you are just committing too much money to a player. If they overpay Terry by, let’s say 10%, fine. It’s the Terry Tax and he’s earned it.

But you can’t go completely crazy and just him way above his value. It’s sets a president and upends future negotiations.

I think it’s going to get done, they’ll be creative, and find the right value.

But he has to realize he is not Chase, Jefferson or Lamb, and he’s 30.

I have no problem overpaying him a bit because of what he brings to the team and his commitment. But you also can’t pay him like a top 3 WR because he just isn’t.
 
Voice_of_Reason said:
Yeah, but there is a point where you are just committing too much money to a player. If they overpay Terry by, let’s say 10%, fine. It’s the Terry Tax and he’s earned it.

But you can’t go completely crazy and just him way above his value. It’s sets a president and upends future negotiations.

I think it’s going to get done, they’ll be creative, and find the right value.

But he has to realize he is not Chase, Jefferson or Lamb, and he’s 30.

I have no problem overpaying him a bit because of what he brings to the team and his commitment. But you also can’t pay him like a top 3 WR because he just isn’t.
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I agree but I think him inking a contract on the cheap previously and him breaking out with a real QB... he's earned a top ~10 salary or whatever.

It's Josh's money... IMHO we won't be cash strapped in large part because we have our QB on a rookie contract.

If there is anyone that's earned a big raise round these parts, its TMC. A class act amid a sea of selfish drama queens at his position. He has Art Monk grade class. There, I said it.
 
RandyHolt said:
I agree but I think him inking a contract on the cheap previously and him breaking out with a real QB... he's earned a top ~10 salary or whatever.

It's Josh's money... IMHO we won't be cash strapped in large part because we have our QB on a rookie contract.

If there is anyone that's earned a big raise round these parts, its TMC. A class act amid a sea of selfish drama queens at his position. He has Art Monk grade class. There, I said it.
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He has never inked a contract on the cheap, he’s been paid fair market value once and is negotiating again now. We didn’t get a hometown discount the first time imo, unless you count the fact that he was willing to re-sign here at all (which is fair, if I were him I would’ve probably preferred to hit FA and leave after the organization he suffered through here back then).
 
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