The recent trade rejection by the Bengals to the Redskins gives a glimpse into the future of the franchise.
Here is scenario one:
The Bengals refuse to trade Chad Johnson.
Right now this seems to be the most likely scenario. Johnson is signaling that he will hold out if he is not traded.
If this does happen, I understand the mindset of the franchise which is we are better with him than without him. The problem lies within the previous statement.
The Bengals are better WITH Johnson, if he sits they are technically without him. The way things are set to go right now, if No. 85 sits, it will set off the following chain of events.
1. The Bengals will have a very tough season, most likely a sub-.500 year. Remember, you are not losing just another receiver, you are losing one of the best in the league, plus the Bengals lost (kicked to the curb) Chris "I want to cause more problems than PacMan" Henry.
2. The losing season will force the Bengals to re-evaluate and probably fire Marvin Lewis. Sure, he is a very good coach and will find a job somewhere else, but the Bengals want to win now. The franchise can not afford to take steps backward.
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3. The firing of Marvin Lewis will cause friction inside the locker room, most notably with the QB (Carson Palmer) and new star WR (T.J. Houshmandzadeh).
T.J. will be looking for a trade to a team that has an opportunity to win, leaving Carson questioning sticking around himself.
4. After the firing of Lewis, Johnson will get what he asked for, which is the true tragedy in all of this.
In the end, it will cause Lewis to lose his job over being bull-headed about the trade. Of course you want to keep your marquee players, but sometimes they are not worth the headache.
It is reported that the Redskins offered their first round pick this year and a conditional third for next year that could turn into a first.
This is a great trade scenario considering if the Bengals were showing their readiness to trade a disgruntled star WR, they would normally get much less than the player is worth.
Here they would get possibly two first round picks for a player with maybe two more All-Pro years left.
The only thing that can save Lewis' job is a winning season or compassion given the situation. If No. 85 is not traded, the Bengals are going to take a giant step backward in losing a good coach and an even better player.
Scenario two is much easier on the franchise:
If Ocho Cinco is traded, the Bengals would have another first round draft pick allowing them to possibly find a suitable replacement.
The Bengals could finish at or above .500 if they hit in the right spots in the draft. They already have key elements in a franchise QB, a star WR, a reliable running game, and an above average offensive line.
Their defense is where the draft really needs to pay off for them.
I do not believe that Johnson is the best player on that team. I do not believe his departure should affect them the way it most likely will.
This is a bad relationship that should be ended immediately.
The Redskins offered an easy way out and the Bengals shot them down. Hopefully for Bengals' fans, things can be reconciled in a way that can benefit both sides.
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4 months ago
Great article. There really is a lot at stake with this problem. I for one enjoyed Ocho Cinco's pranks and such. The Bengals will not be the same without him, however the Bengals organization comes first. If they need a trade to survive in the NFL, I will be rooting for a trade.
4 months ago
$$$$$3.5million Chad's not stupid he's not going to give up $200,000 each week to try to prove his point.
from 4 months ago
I agree, I think when push comes to shove he will suck it up and play. Once again Drew Rosenhouse (the devil) is controlling a players emotions to benefit himself. I think Chad has a much stronger loyalty to the team than he is letting on right now. Regardless I cant believe they turned down a first and a third that could become a first.
4 months ago
TRADE HIM NOW!!!!! I MEAN FOR GODS SAKES DID YOU SEE WHAT THE CHIEFS JUST GOT FOR JARED ALLEN? IF YOU CAN GET A FIRST ROUND PICK AND 2 THIRD ROUND PICKS FOR A GUY LIKE JARED ALLEN ID LOVE TO SEE WHAT THE BENGALS COULD GET FOR CHAD JOHNSON.
from 4 months ago
No offense, I think Chad Johson is a great player, but I do believe that a 26 year old who just lead the league in sacks has higher trade value than a disgruntled WR. If this were to happen 3 years ago it would be the other way around. I think the Redskins offer is as good as it gets for the Bengals.
4 months ago
Although you have an interesting viewpoint, I do not believe in trading proven stars (no matter how disruptive) for high draft picks. ESPECIALLY in this year's class, where this is no consensus #1 receiver on the board. I think the Bengals will do all they can to trade up, perhaps to the Patriots' #7 to acquire Sedrick Ellis (DT - USC), who is the consensus #2 DT on the board behind Glenn Dorsey.
Chad Johnson is going to play football. In the most recent press conference, Marvin Lewis called 85 out and said basically that he's under contract until 2011, and if he wants to sit, he can sit until then. He's not going to do this. He produces on the field more than 99% of receivers in the game today. Say what you want about his off the field antics, he can play the receiver position better than almost anyone in the game. If he sits, then he's out of sight, out of mind. He won't, though. The Bengals just got Odel Thurman back, which is going to boost their defense. Jonathon Joseph is one of the premier young cornerbacks in the game. Sedrick Ellis will help their D-line. They'll finish probably 8 - 8 like they always do, and Chad will complain like he does every single offseason.
4 months ago
I disagree with a couple things in this article the first one being the reasoning behind not trading Chad. The reason they won't trade him isn't because "they're better with him than without him" it's because if they trade him they have to pay him $5 million in contract bonuses, which count against their salary cap. But if they keep him and he sits they don't have to pay him a dime. Another thing I disagree with is Marvin Lewis losing his job over not trading Chad Johnson, mainly because they really don't have a choice in the matter for the reason I mentioned above, but also because the head coach doesn't made trades, that's the GM's job. I'm sure the GM works very closely with the head coach when making trade decisions and the decision is probably mutual most of the time, but still ultimately it's the GM's job. And in the Bengals case the GM is also the owner, Mike Brown, so no one will lose their job over this. Also, Eddy, I don't know why you say Chad complains every single offseason. This is the first time he's ever been anything other than a model teammate, which is why I believe this is all coming from Drew Rosenhaus, as Cayce said earlier.
from 4 months ago
Well at least you agree with one thing I said. I understand it is the GM's job, but the coach has a lot of say in the matter, and regardless of who is or who is not on the field, it is still the coach's job to have a productive year and without Chad this year will be less productive.
4 months ago
The once called "best wide receiver core" two years ago is now completely gone.
With Chad sitting out, I'm going to tell you something that you NEED to realize:
--TJ Houshmanzadeh is NOT a number 1 receiver.
OK, he made the pro-bowl. Don't think he did that just by himself. If it wasn't for Chad's constant double coverage, TJ would have had just half of his amount of receptions.
If TJ is the #1, the Bengals will have no offense to match their (lack of) defense.
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