2025 NFL Off Season Thread

congrats liga

now you'll just need average 40 points a game

it’s a lot of money on pass catchers. They also extended Mike Gesicki last week.

JOE pounded the table for this, so i'm fine w it

now about those two starting offensive guard spots...

Pounded the table is a great sound bite but there aren’t that many active players who’ve made good GMs. And we’re gonna see how the Raiders turn out under Tom Brady

Having said that, the Bungles don’t even have a GM do they?

Duke Tobin is the GM (his title is Director of Player Personnel)

time to revisit this post from Jan. 27

CIN fans are very frustrated that the WR deals didn't get done before the meat of FA. poor process has set the franchise back yet again. CIN had to land a starting guard in FA and they failed to do so

with that said, here are my thoughts on what CIN should do w pick #17

if G/T Kelvin Banks, Jr. (Texas) falls to CIN then that would be the pick for me. he's ranked #16 on the Athletics updated Big Board published today

if Banks, Jr. is off the board

i'm scared off by Mike Green's off the field issues. if physical freak and Edge Shemar Stewart (TAMU, #17 on the Big Board) is available he's my pick

if Banks, Jr. and Stewart are off the board

i'm almost tempted to flop Stewart w this player bc this player i think will be able to give you some consistent pressure off the edge as well. that said, my third option is LB Jihaad Campbell (Bama, #22 on the Big Board). Campbell and USCe's Nick Emmanwori are the freakiest of the freaks of this draft's defensive prospects

Azeez Ojulari to the Eagles. I wish it was more than one year, but nice signing.

if you are an elite QB and jamarr chase is on the team then you shouldnt need to pay the #2 WR that much money, especially one that is injured as often as higgins

Iggles just won a SB with Brown and Smith.
Colts won SB with Harrison and Wayne

Both had highly paid QBs and WRs.

Am sure there are others - eg Rams 99 but unsure if they were all on big contracts

This is beyond pathetic.

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yeah, lot of ways to skin a cat...i'm not a "you can't win paying XYZ position ABC" guy at all

but their D sucked last yr, OL has been up and down for years and higgins is hurt a lot

and something like AJB/smith deals are nothing close to chase/higgins

id like it more if higgins was like....ceedee lamb

I wouldn't have done it either tbh

to nitpick your comment...the Higgins deal is very similar with Smith's when you factor in the cap escalation. And I'd be sure that the Bengals could have got this deal for Tee last year when Smith signed and cheaper if they'd signed him 2 years ago at the 3 year mark of his career, which is when Smith signed.

Forget CeeDee, I'd probably take Smith over Higgins too tbh, albeit it's close.

Chase is more than Brown, even with the cap but it wouldn't have been so much more at all if they'd signed him to this last year. Different situation because Brown's was a 3rd contract when he had more years left on his previous one but iirc he became the highest paid WR in the NFL when he signed it

but overall it's badly handled business by the Bengals for a few reasons

Higgins has a higher avg and only 4 fewer TDs than Lamb despite playing in 11 fewer games.

There were only 5 WRs last season that had just as many or more receiving yards and receiving TDs as Higgins, and all 5 are their teams #1 option (Amon, Evans, Brian Thomas, Terry, and JJ).

Higgins is only getting $500k more per year than Waddle. I'm the biggest Phins fan here, and if you offered me Higgins for Waddle and it'd only cost me an extra $500k/year. I'd take that in an instant.

You can argue they have bigger needs, but they're essentially getting WR1 output for WR2 cost. It's a steal.

In dork circles, I believe this is known as ‘paying for the outlier’ and remember, he’s never getting double teamed or the defence’s best CB and he’s getting thrown to by a top 5 QB

Maybe he continues and maybe it all works out. He seems likable and I quite enjoy watching the Bengals so let’s hope so.

But if they can’t keep Trey then it’s a mistake imo and I wonder if a high 2nd Rd pick and the $27m to spend on other players might have been the go

Or get two 1s for Chase and the $40m back to spend on other players (well…less because they’re also paying 2 1st rounders….so maybe $30m) and see if Tee really is a #1

Yeah I would've traded one of Chase or Higgins if I was the Bengals. I'm just saying in comparing Higgins contract to Waddle I don't think it's that bad since I think Higgins is much better.