Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - COSTLY FREE AGENCY EVE | Massive contracts around the NFL driving up prices for the Cincinnati Bengals

Episode Date: March 10, 2025

Myles Garrett signed a $40 million extension, D.K. Metcalf got a $33 million deal from the Steelers after he was traded, and both of those moves could drive up prices for contracts the Bengals haven't gotten across the finish line yet with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Jake Liscow and James Rapien break down the latest NFL market developments, take a look at a few external free agent targets as teams around the league are still scrambling to re-sign their own, and talk about what the Bengals did manage to get done over the weekend.Join the Locked On Bengals Insider Community! https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonbengalsFind and follow Locked On Bengals on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-bengals-daily-podcast-on-the-cincinnati-bengals/id1159723162Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7AObc0lh0WmQl5fJVgtajsGoogle Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vbG9ja2Vkb25iZW5nYWxz?sa=X&ved=0CAYQrrcFahcKEwio_sXtj8nuAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAgStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-bengalsSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BetterhelpDiscover your relationship “green flags” with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/lockedon today to get 10% off your first month. Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Market conditions on Sunday evolved quickly, and it was not in the Cincinnati Bengals favor. Them dragging their feet is proving increasingly costly. Let's get into it. You are Locked on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Well, on Bengals fans and welcome to another episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. I'm your host, Jake Liskow. He's your host, James Rupert.

and we are Lockdown Bengals on the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day on YouTube and everywhere you get your podcast. So if you are new to the show and you're not already in every day and you're interested in joining the exclusive club of the many Bengals fans out there that make sure they don't miss an episode of Lockdown Bengals, especially at this time of year. You can hit that subscribe button, hit the bell, get notified when we get these videos up and you won't miss an episode of Lockdown Bengals. That's also true if you're listening on an audio platform, you subscribe.

We're also on all the podcast platforms out there. We're going to dive into the latest on the Bengals as they enter free agency without any of the big deals we were hoping to see them have done by now done. We're recording this late on Sunday night, about 10.15 Eastern time as we've started recording this episode. Today's episode is brought to you by Fandul where you can get $200 in bonus. If your first $5 bet wins at Fandul.com for new customers. James, let's start with the changing market conditions. The Bengals have cost themselves money by waiting to get deals done. And this has been a theme.

This has been something we've been critical of the team for for the last several years, a couple of years at least. It was true for Jesse Bates before they let him walk. It was true for T. Higgins. The first time they went through negotiations with T. Higgins, and it's true for T. Higgins again, this time is true for Jamarck Chase after they didn't get an extension done last year. And to some degree, is true for Trey Hendrickson.

And the condition they find themselves in now with Miles Garrett signing a 40, million deal and D.K. Metcalf getting a $33 million extension from the Steelers after the Seahawks traded into Pittsburgh for a second round pick. Yeah, 33 million per by the way. That's not 33 million over. Obviously, Jake, I know you know that, but to be clear, the market has shifted dramatically and the Bengals don't have T done. Trey can talk to whoever he wants about a deal. And Jemar's just sitting there waiting for his contract and probably asking. and his teammates to hold his phone because he can't bear looking at Twitter. That's a Pro Bowl joke that most of you probably don't get.

The point is, is the market has shifted dramatically since the last time you heard from us. We recorded on Saturday. We did a bonus show this week. Market shifted dramatically. And it's funny, Jake. I went back and I listened to Duke Tobin. I went back and I listened to Joe Burrow, Joe Burrow from December on T. and Duke Tobin from the combine on February 25th.

And there was urgency. They know, like they know that things are potentially shifting, as Ian Rappaport tweets about Adam Butler and makes me hesitate there. Adam Butler, the defensive tackle, breaking news there. The point is,

it's things are fluid, but they know that they need to attack this with urgency. Duke said it multiple times. We use the word attack. And I literally, I think going into Sunday night, Bengals fans after that D.K. Metcalf deal, they were like, man, is T is T going to be on the trade block now? Are they going to be able to pay Tee? And it's just dumb because the numbers that we had been talking about for months would have likely landed Trey.

I'm pretty confident that if they had come in and offered Trey 2 for 56, 28 million per year, maybe you get up to 30 million per year. They would have gotten it done, say, I don't know, February 25th, when Duke Tobin made those comments. I think the moment that they tagged T had they gone to him and offered him 28 million, average annual value over four years, I bet they get really close to getting a deal done. And maybe they have to guarantee some money in a year or two. Who cares? He's 26 years old.

And you're going to give him a fully guaranteed $26.179 million. anyways. The point is, if they were really attacking this, I think that those deals would be done. Clearly, they have some hesitation to pay Trey. Clearly, something is holding up T. Oh, and by the way, Jamar, who's going to make more than any of them, his price just went up big time. And I think that's kind of where the news is. I talk about those other two because I kind of thought, especially with the T-Trade stuff, that T and T-and-T, those would be the first dominoes to fall. But now if you're going to make Jamar the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL, well, there is no threes involved anymore unless it's a four and then a three. This guy's going to get probably $41 million per

year and the guaranteed money. And I think that's where it gets interesting. Because if I'm Jamar, yeah, you want the title of highest paid non-quarterback, fine. But I want that Miles Garrett guaranteed money versus the Justin Jefferson guaranteed money. Miles Garrett got $123.5 million guaranteed. And so that's where it could get quite interesting if, if Tramar tries to make a push there. So it's just, it's harder than it needs to be always. And it's not as complicated as they make it sound.

And by they, I mean people that try to act like this contract stuff is rocket science. And yet here we are Sunday night. And none of these guys are done. And none of these guys are signed long term. Yeah. It's another example. of them fighting for a million dollars today to cost themselves $5 million tomorrow. And I tweeted that.

I sent that to our subtext subscribers or a few of them today. I've written that direct messages today before I tweeted. And I was like, yeah, no, this is what they do. They are so stubborn in the short term over a million dollars here, million dollars there, guarantees here, guarantees there for contracts are going to pay out anyway. We're talking about the Jamar Chase second year, T. Higgins. second year or an option bonus for Jamar Chase and when that becomes guaranteed and those sorts of structural details that have been issues for them in the past. These aren't players that you're

worried about the future for. They're players that you want to give another extension to, potentially, depending on how long that initial extension or resigning is for. And so it's just very frustrating to continue to watch the same issues that we've talked about with these contracts, that we've seen them make the mistakes. And you heard the tenor from Duke Tobin at the Combine. You heard the specific words when he's talking about wanting to get things done quickly so that they can move and attack free agency. They want to attack free agency where they're talking about not paying more money for the

same team, but also wanting to add to that team and make it better. And instead, we're here on the Eva Free Agency, the last time we're going to talk before teens are negotiating with external players. And they've gotten Mike Kisicki done. And the second biggest contract that they've dealt with is Cody Ford. And we'll get to that later. But these are not the contracts that I thought we would be talking about before free agency. And D.K. Metcalf, that deal is. the prime example of, oh my God, the NFL would love to be in this position. And by the NFL,

I mean literally like any NFL team that isn't holding the Lombardy and the Eagles, maybe the chiefs, but there aren't many teams that that would not sign up for what the Bengals are in position to do, which is sign T, sign Jemar. The Steelers paid a second round pick, gave that up, swapped multiple picks on day three, just for the right to pay D.K. Metcalf. The Bengals put themselves in position to pay a younger, less durable, fine. But version that is as valuable, more valuable, egoless,

like is a better fit, all these things, they should be jumping at paying tea. And we don't know the hold up, but it doesn't matter because it isn't that complicated. And that's what kills me here is because it doesn't matter. Like I don't need the details. I don't need to make calls on tea and ask what's holding it up. It doesn't matter. Find the way to get it done.

So when you're negotiating with free agents on Monday at noon Eastern and you better damn well be doing that, you're not worried about the 26.179 cap hit that's weighing down your cap space. that's what's annoying about this, is that there should be urgency on both sides. T wants to get paid. T wants to be here, and the Bengals should want to figure it out and get this done.

And where as we record this, 13 and a half hours away, tick, tick, tick. And it's frustrating. The other part of it that you just got to keep in the back of your mind, really the front of your mind. Joe Burroughs watching all of this.

Joe Burroughs watching all of this go down, watching the market change, I don't think he's playing call of duty. And if he is, his phone's still lighting up and he's seeing all the notifications. So, yeah, I can't help but mention that. Joe's watching. Not only that, the rest of the free agent market continues to move before free agency negotiations open up.

Who knows what comes in the hours before noon on Monday where there could be bigger deals. There could be more deals. There are going to be fewer players available to the Bengals. And even what we're about to talk about, about as we think a little bit about some external Bengals free agency targets. Think a little bit more about the Cody Ford deal, the Mike Keseki structure, what that could tell us about what the Bengals plans are as well. Those topics to continue the show coming up next.

This is a message from sponsor Intuit TurboTax. Taxes was waiting and wondering and worrying if you're going to get any money back and then waiting, wondering, and worrying some more. Definitely sounds like Bengals fans right now about free agency. Now taxes is matching with a turbotax expert who could do your taxes as soon as today. I wonder if TurboTax can sign T. Higgins. An expert who gives your taxes their undivided attention as they work on your return while you get real-time updates on their progress so you can focus on your day. An expert who will find every deduction possible and file every form, every investment, every everything with 100% accuracy.

Also, you can get the most money back guaranteed. No waiting, no wondering, no worries with... TurboTax. Get an expert now at turbotax.com. Only available with TurboTax live, full service, real-time updates only in iOS mobile app. See guarantee details at turbotax.com slash guarantees. The Bengals have every reason to get deals done quickly, both with their own guys, and managing those cap hits and figuring out where they're going to be when it comes to free agency and when it comes to external free agents where it is expected by many that they will be aggressive on the offensive guard market. We expect to see moves on the defensive line,

especially as Trey Hendrickson remains on the trade block. And we'll wait to see what happens there, I guess, is the door isn't entirely shut, as we discussed, I believe, on the extra episode, the bonus episode on Saturday, but it doesn't feel very likely that Trey is back unless the Bengals significantly changed their offer. But as we look at these external free agents, James. Where the Bengals are right now is that T. Higgins cap hit is still $26 million in change. The Jamar Chase cap hit, still $21 million in some change until or if those deals get done. That is the state for the Bengals as they look at external free agents and try to find guys

that can help them get back to contention, which has been what we've talked about for this offseason for a while now. And it's no longer alignment for me, James, this is a bit of a non-secondary. Alignment being the word of the off season. It's not frustration being the word of the off season, but that can change if the Bengals start to get some of this stuff done. And not only their own guys, but external free agents that can help make this team better. So let's take a break from hand-ringing over T. Higgins and Jemar Chase and T.

and even though those continue to be major stories and think a little bit about external targets that continue to dry up as I'm sure more guys will get signed. You mentioned Adam Butler. I'm sure more guys will get signed between now and the time people listen to this episode. Speaking of areas, I want them to attack,

I was hoping, and I'm still hoping, that they attack Monday and add key pieces. You want to see them hit the ground running and adding prioritizing guards and prioritizing pass rush. and getting after it, like the, the 1201 Alex Kappa signing, that was awesome because it was like, oh, well, they're clearly prioritizing this. They want to protect Joe. Well, they have that whole right guard. Maybe it's Kevin Zitler. Maybe it's Brandon Scherf. Maybe it's one of these other

veteran guards. And there are a decent amount of them out there. I want them to sign two guards. I don't know if they view it that way, especially after the Cody Ford deal. I would still be in the market for two guards. So that's one thing I'd be looking at on Monday. Can you at least get one done Monday? And then I don't know about you, Jake, but I think there are a decent amount of pass rushers out there. They're not perfect.

They come with flaws, some of them especially where they might not be as good against the run or they might be on the wrong side of 30. I think there's a difference between being on the wrong side of 30 when it's Trey Hendrickson for the Bengals and when it's a. a one-year deal that isn't huge money for the Bengals. At least I hope. Because if they aren't agist, well, then Calaisus Campbell is in the mix. Then Malik Collins, who was recently released or is going to get released,

will be in the mix this week. Zedaria Smith will be in the mix this week. Guys that have high pass rush win rates, guys that do get after the quarterback and cause a little bit of chaos, that's what I want them to do here is have their targets and have guys that they think fit and attack it right away, not wait, not do this drawing out process. I get it.

It's going to go into the midweek and end of the week and we're probably going to have the Ruby dinners and all of those things. Like, I get it. It's part of free agency. But have some guys and go get them. And hopefully they're proven capable guys. They aren't necessarily a Gino Stone guy

that had one year of seven interceptions. And it's like, how good is he? it's proven guys, regardless of age, that has been productive and continue to be productive. I think it's also worth continuing to take looks at ascending players coming off of their first contract. And that is where in that middle tier of free agents, the Bengals have been successful in the past. And it's been a while. But if they could run back those successful free agent classes when that's where they lived, that would make a big difference for this team. If they can find the market inefficiencies that are DJ Reader, right?

the force multiplier players at positions that weren't considered to be as valuable then as I think we realized they were, then that's awesome. If they can find those pieces, great. And so with that mold of player, you're talking about Levi-Oenzerichae from Detroit. You're talking about, well, they play in any of the more expensive waters,

probably not for Milton Williams, probably not for Josh Sweat. I agree. They should. But what about Chase Young if he's actually available? Maybe he's re-signed by the time people listen to this. Because the way this free agent market is going, if there's a guy that you would like, there's a good chance that he's going back to the team from which he originated.

But what about Paulson Adivo? Do the Bengals see him another saint as a potential Chidobie and Woosier 2.0 if they choose to play in the cornerback market? Not that I think that's terribly likely, but just talking about something. of the younger guys, Tevin Jenkins, a guard who would be on a second deal, a guy that they could have picked in the second round, obviously, in that draft. They had to pick Jackson, Carmen. Come on. So it's not necessarily just the older players. I'm agreeing with you that they should be open to it, but there are plenty of players that fit their mold, too.

Julian Blackman, Dio Oda Inbo. Drea Oda Ingo is certainly someone that I think they're interested in. I don't know if they'll get him. Drey Greenlaw, too. I think they're interested in him, too. Even coming off an injury, Mackay Beckton, are they going to revisit that conversation after he was good at Guard? And maybe he's more interested in playing Guard now after he did it successfully and won a Super Bowl in doing so. 26 years old, technically it would be a third contract for him, but second contract age range there. So there are plenty of players like that that end up in that kind of high-end tier three on our spreadsheet.

James Daniels, another one coming off an injury, 28 years. years old. Roy Lopez, 28 years old, nose tackle potential there for you. Will Hernandez. There's a bunch of guys that could be obvious upgrades for you. Yeah. They just have to find the right fits. I got one for you. And he worked with Scott Peters in Cleveland. What about Jedrick Wills? Yeah. Yeah. And like the, like the Mackay Beckton, that, that kind of track, almost. The difference there to me is that I just, it can't be your only plan. Philly had multiple options there. Mackayette Bexon ends up at guard there, but it wasn't the way that it was going from the jump.

But if he's part of a plan and they can get him for a relatively low dollar deal and we think that Scott Peters can do the reclamation project kind of thing, awesome. Great. Sure. Not opposed one bit. Yeah, I'd be in on. Well, to me, it would be like you have him, you'd sign. Dalton, Risner, Reisner. Reisner, Zitler, someone like that, right?

And then, sure, exactly. And so that's how they need to attack. Because Will's can be your swing tackle, too. Like, he's got option, like, he potentially could be at least. Or at least be a backup tackle. Maybe you don't think he's the swing. But you get the point is he has some versatility. And you want to avoid.

having to put put Cody Ford in at tackle if you can avoid that, I think, even though you re-signed him. So that's what Wills would allow you to do, I think. So guys like that, though, I'm with you. I just, I went the age range when I

said that because a lot of people including the Bengals, I think, dismiss these guys, but who cares if it's like a year deal? They're like a one year deal or two-year deal. It doesn't matter that much. That second year is going to be fake anyway with the Bengals. And so it's like, well, just get the guys that are going to help you in 2025. Like, how are you going to get there in 25?

And that's what I want to see from them in free agencies. Get guys that are going to help them right now. And, well, they better have a plan. They better attack it. I'm sure we have some more thoughts on this. Obviously, they signed Cody Ford. We can get into that as well coming up next. Today's show is brought to you by Fandul America's number one sports book.

March Madness is here. And my bearcats, well, they're not. not March Madnessbound. But your favorite team probably is. And of course, I'm getting in on all the action with Fandu. And right now Fandu is giving you the chance to get in on the action like never before because right now new customers can get $200 and bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. That's 200 extra bucks to use on everything from buzzer beaters to Cinderella stories and

even who's cutting down the nets. And obviously that could be Duke with Duke just rolling right now. Whether it's Duke, whether it's Auburn who got upset the other day, whoever you're going to roll with this March, you can pick your favorites, you can stay in on all the action with Fandul. It's a fun way to follow all of March Madness. And it's not just for college hoops. Of course, they have NFL futures, they have NBA, they have Major League Baseball all in one spot because they are America's number one sports book. So visit Fandul.com today and get $200 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. again, fandal.com and get in on all the college hoops action all tournament long.

We're obviously still waiting for the news on the Bengals Big Three, but as we finish up the show, James, I have a few more names for you for external free agents that I would like to see the Bengals target or would like to see the Bengals at least consider Nate Hobbs, potential Mike Hilton replacement stylistically if they want to add some depth at the slot corner position. I think that Hobbs is a guy that can play the run really well, 26 years old. He's not going to be quite the player that Mike Hilton was in terms of playing like a linebacker taking on pulling offensive linemen. But I like that idea with Nate Hobbs.

I like the idea of exploring at least Malcolm Coontz, the Las Vegas Raider, Ed Rusher, who was hurt last year but put up great numbers the year before. Robert Spillane, a linebacker, I think we've talked about before. I would like to see them explore that one as well. I think we've talked on the show as well about Patrick McCarrey, a versatile offensive lineman from Baltimore. So those are some other guys that I'll throw out. There are a ton of guys that are out there.

You mentioned Malik Collins earlier in the show. He was a cup player. So that one is as a 30-year-old, probably worth considering as well. So we'll see what direction the Bengals go here. But I just wanted to mention a couple more names there as some, second contract players in that mix that the Bengals could be interested in. Yeah, I mean, I would, Juan Thornhill, I mentioned him too. He's been out there for a while now as a cut.

But to me, I would cut Gino and bring in Juan Thorne Hill tomorrow. And that would be one. Zadaria Smith, to me, again, age-wise, Malik Collins. By the way, Malik is only going to be 30. Like, he's not that. And he's not great against the run. But he's going to bring the pass rush. And that's what they need.

And if you're looking for, like, he could be your three. Like, so let's say they really like Kenneth Grant, for example, or something. Well, well, then Malik Collins, you bring him in and you try to stabilize things on the interior a bit. So I think there's a path there with some of these guys. I'll just mention him because of the LSU connection, K. LeVan Chase-on. Maybe he gets near Joe Burrow and finds his pass rush moves and can get after the passer a bit more, Who knows? You never know. But no, I think

this is there's enough good, established talent and there's going to be guys. Like there was that report who had it. Was it someone, I think it was someone from CBS. I'm trying to think now. But anyways,

that the guard market is going to be booming. Prisco. Pete Prisco, yeah, CBS Sports, yes. Pete Priscoe had guard market is going to be booming. There's enough guards that even if it's booming, you'll be able to figure it out Bengals and be able to get guys that are capable of being, not just being upgrades,

but being quality players. And that's what they need. They need to add more quality players to their team. I was thinking about this. Like we're talking about basically the top five guys on their roster right now in Burrow and Orlando Brown Jr. Under contract, but the three in the middle there,

two through four. and it's like, yeah, they really need to get better like 10 through 53. Like that's the difference is they were so top heavy. Like can they just bring the average talent level of their roster up a couple pegs? Like that would go pretty darn far, I think. And part of that is developing these young guys, but part of it is getting free agency right. And that's what they need to do starting on Monday at noon. And hitting in the draft, of course.

and retaining your players that you hit on in the draft. But real quick, by the way, like, putting, just, I want to put this out there because I don't know if I have publicly. Maybe I have on Twitter, but, like, if you're really considering trading Trey, you should be in on Milton Williams and Josh Sweat. Like the plan should be,

oh, we're not going to pay Trey 34. We're going to pay Milton Williams and Josh Sweat 44. And the reason they won't is because they're not going to guarantee enough money to Milton Williams to get in on that conversation. Like, I'd be shocked if they did. But those are the type of moves where you could say, oh, well, you lose Trey, but you might get better as a defense. And I just, I don't think that they'll swim in those waters.

I just don't. We love it, but I just don't. That is somewhere we've seen them be successful before, is where they opt to instead of paying the one big contract, they do the aggregate contract, and they got Chedobo of Ousee, and they got Mike Hilton in the same. same offseason and those guys remake your cornerback room and are able to tap into the upside that you're you're seeing for them. So they have been successful with that before.

It's just that this year, free agency is not so good. And so that makes everything harder. The other one, Jonathan Allen can still play. Still pretty good. I'd be in on him too. Yeah. You should definitely be exploring it at the very least. Did you mention it?

I can't remember. I did not. No, that's a good one. Another guy that I would be in because he can still get after the passer, man. You're playing against Mahomes on fourth and 16. He can still do it. I hear you. And I agree with that.

I'm also like if they're trading, Trey Hendrickson, I'm slowly becoming run defense pulled. And I don't know if I've said this on the podcast before or not, but I'm just like, go become the best run defending front in the NFL and then get into those third and lungs because they couldn't do it last year, right? I mean, obviously you need guys to rush a passer.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not going that far. but like if they go get a couple of Sam Hubbard level defensive ends like prime Sam Hubbard and run defense. Oh my God. Like a Jake. You go full run defense on that front. Jake, you're going through it right now, brother, because you just said I miss Sam Hubbard in his prime.

Sam Hubbard prime run defense. Let's go. The Bengals did resign Cody Ford to a two-year deal. The second multi-year deal, the Bengals have agreed on with their own players to bring guys, back. We also got the structure on Mike Gaseki's contract. And don't want to spend too much time here on the Gaseki structure, James, but I was disappointed to see the year one cap hit at 7.6 million. That was at the very top of the range that I expected. It could have been anywhere from $4 to $8 million reasonably based on the first year cash flow of $12 million that we heard. It is $7.6 million.

That is near the very top of that range. And Cody Ford's contract, similarly, is a much smaller scale. is about 80% of the average annual value in a year one cap hit. So the Bengals with these two deals anyway are not conserving 20, 25 cap space in any way, shape, or form. These are conservative structures even for the Bengals. And while I think they're good deals overall, I think it's a very reasonable deal for Mike Keseki, who could have gotten more in the open market. I think it's a reasonable deal for Cody Ford to be a guard off the bench. And I specified guard off the bench.

And I don't even want him to be the first option. but he's a decent piece there, and this is a market price for a journeyman guard who's coming off the bench. I think these are fine deals, a little bit disappointed in the structure, but with some specialist deals, the Bengals have done as well,

these are deals that you need to make, and it's not the order that anyone wants to see these moves happen in, and I get that frustration. Trust me, I do. But these moves, I think, in a vacuum, are not bad moves. Sure. I hate the strike. structure.

Gisiki should not have an $8 million cap hit this year. It's just, it's just dumb. It's just dumb. You know, I, because again, they should be trying to get

every ounce. I'm going to be very, very clear with this point. Bengals, if you win a Super Bowl, it builds you a ton of equity in the city, like a ton. Like,

seen before because you've never done. Like, I promise you. It's why people are kind of nice to the red still. Still. And they've sucked my entire life because they have, they have championships. And it builds so much equity. So like people that are 45 that remember the 90 Reds or that are 60 that remember the big red machine. They're like, oh, man, the big red machine. And they still talk about it like that, even though it was a bajillion years ago and people my age have no idea what the hell happened because we weren't there. Obviously, you've heard stories and seen it and all those things. But that's it is it leaves the legacy. Like, I hate the sustainability BS.

If we want to be sustainable, year in and year out. Yeah, you got Joe Burroughs your quarterback. That's not the bar anymore. Like, he could throw to Jake Liscoe and James Rupin and it's going to be sustainable. Like, they'll be solid every year. You might be exaggerating a little, but it's pretty close. The difference is you should be able to maximize your cap space

and get every drop of juice out of it this year. That's the difference. And so, like, Mike is sickie. I would want that to be, like, how low could they have made that? Four million? That would be extremely low, I think reasonably five million for their structures. And then you have an extra $2.5 million. And do that.

Get every bit of juice out of what cap you have without completely going uncomfortable with, or worse than uncomfortable, but whatever you want to say with your structures. Like, if you're going to structure everything the way they structure it, then maximize it because the cap's going to be higher later. So it's okay if Kisicki's a couple million dollars more next year. It just, that's, that's the part of it. That's, that's just annoying because if they fail in this window, yeah, then it's going to be really, really hard to recover. And if they are successful in this window, it means getting one. which is a really darn low bar when you have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

Like usually the goal would be, oh, you got to get three, four, or five. If you get one, things are going to change a lot. And so understand that and understand that it's worth the investment and worth going in a little bit more and getting a little more uncomfortable and kind of pushing things to the middle of the table. But even them going all in wouldn't like break them. You know that. Like it's not like they're going to take so many risk that it,

It's going to be an Eagles cap situation in 2030 or a Brown's cap situation now or insert whoever. There's still time for them to get these deals done. Technically, by the time I wake up tomorrow, out here on the West Coast, James, could wake up to news. And so if they do that, great. They'll have accomplished a goal in a very painful way that's going to end up costing them more money

than if they had been proactive. and Duke Tobin's comments about getting things done early are already looking hollow, foolish, one of the two. It's getting late, Jake, and I'm not talking about the time. I mean, you're kind of talking about the time, been up like the current time of day. Anyway, there will be plenty for us to discuss here on Locked-on Bengals this week. As we wait to see these structures of these deals

and who the Bengals sign, And honestly, more important than the structure is who they managed to sign, but the structure does limit who they sign. And that's why we bring it up. That's why it's frustrating. And honestly, it's not too unpredictable, which is the disappointing part of it. Duke Tobin's comments at the Combine led me to believe, and I talked about it, I think, on the show, that the structures didn't sound like they were changing. Or maybe I just tweeted about it. But when Duke Tobin was proud of how little dead money they had, that was a sign perhaps succumbed.

But we'll see what the rest of these deals look like. Maybe they're doing these deals this way because they have plans for Jamar Chase and T. Higgins deals to push those hits into the future. And that is the hope that you can remain to hold on to from a cap management perspective when you look at the Cody Ford, Mike Gaseki structures here. Much more so Gaseki than Ford. It's a much bigger deal. But that's going to do it for this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. We'll be back when we have news to talk about or sometime tomorrow after some free agency action. Until then, thanks for listening.

today and have a good one.