Latest news with #Bengals
USA Today
34 minutes ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Bengals' 2011 redraft has them shockingly ignoring A.J. Green
Bengals' 2011 redraft has them shockingly ignoring A.J. Green Flashback to 2011. The NFL was in the midst of a player lockout as the league and the NFL Players Association were moving towards a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Even with the ongoing talks, the league went ahead and held the NFL Draft. The Cincinnati Bengals entered the draft with the No. 4 overall pick following a 4-12 season in 2010. One of the big debates entering the draft was at the wide receiver position. Who would go first between Georgia's A.J. Green and Alabama's Julio Jones? The Bengals would select Green who went on to have a great career with the Bengals. But what if the Bengals had gone the other way? RELATED: Bengals, Shemar Stewart nuclear option includes 2026 NFL draft route Pro Football Focus recently rebuilt the 2011 NFL Draft using grades and data. In this redraft, the Bengals do, in fact, go in the other direction and take Jones, who originally went No. 6 overall after a big trade involving the Atlanta Falcons. "There was a big debate heading into the 2011 NFL Draft over whether A.J. Green or Julio Jones was the top wide receiver prospect. The Bengals ultimately picked Green, who went on to have an excellent career in Cincinnati. However, Jones ended up being the better player. "The two-time first-team All-Pro recorded a career 94.7 PFF overall grade and was the second-most-valuable receiver across his 13 seasons, according to PFF WAR." Green wasn't too far off, recording a 92.2 career grade. In this redraft, Green went with the very next pick, No. 5 overall to the Arizona Cardinals, rather than their original pick of LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson. In the end, both Green and Jones became excellent players in the NFL and the Bengals couldn't have gone wrong either way. RELATED: Bengals standouts after mandatory minicamp includes surprises
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
No, the Bengals aren't going to trade first-round pick Shemar Stewart
The Cincinnati Bengals won't trade first-round pick Shemar Stewart despite the strange contract standoff, reportedly due to the team attempting to make him the first to accept the revised precedent around how it does contracts. That big disclaimer out of the way, the idea the Bengals might throw up their hands and trade Stewart is starting to make the rounds (it's mid-June with no news to speak of, after all). Advertisement Bleacher Report's Mitchell Milani just suggested trade packages. And one doesn't have to look long to find many more. Again, not happening. As we've already documented, the 'nuclear' option for Stewart is to completely skip this year and enter the 2026 draft, which would mean the Bengals get zero back for the loss and can't draft him again. But if he tried to play in college again or another professional league, the Bengals would keep his rights, according to ESPN's Ben Baby. RELATED: Bengals, Shemar Stewart nuclear option includes 2026 NFL draft route As Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio already pointed out, teams can technically trade unsigned draft picks up until 30 days before the first game of the season. Advertisement But again, if Stewart would likely fall undrafted or to the late rounds a year from now after all this drama, why would a team trade for him right now? And why would the Bengals entertain the idea? Make no mistake, Cincinnati's standoff with Stewart is public and ugly. The team's past reputation in the media isn't doing any favors, either. But he's been present for most of the activities and taking mental reps with his teammates. Yes, Stewart is a project who needs every live rep possible. But the early summer stuff has already been missed. It's done. The Bengals aren't going to turn around and trade him for undoubtedly a lesser return than what they paid to draft him because of a staring contest over a little language in his contract. And Stewart's not going to want to go to another team that, depending on who to believe in the reporting, already uses this language he's not happy about in the first place. Advertisement So, Bengals fans will need to smile and grit through it. There's an endless wave of content about a Stewart trade inbound, but it's the same thing as Trey Hendrickson trade content…also not happening. RELATED: Bengals standouts after mandatory minicamp includes surprises This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: No, the Bengals aren't going to trade first-round pick Shemar Stewart
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bengals crushed by earned reputation with major contract standoffs
The Cincinnati Bengals have modernized in a few ways, which many fans recognize. Joe Burrow's arrival has accomplished that. But the old-school reputation the Bengals very well earned over the course of decades is something currently being leveraged in a very public fashion during contract standoffs with first-round pick Shemar Stewart and All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. Advertisement So says Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated: 'Is Hendrickson taking advantage of the leverage created by Burrow's words and the spot the Bengals are in? He'd be smart to do that. Is Stewart piggybacking on the Hendrickson situation to get favorable contract terms? It wouldn't be the dumbest thing to do—though, as a rookie, it'll be vital that he's ready to go. Also important? That the Bengals, after their healthiest offseason in a few years, are ready to roll when they report to camp.' RELATED: Bengals, Shemar Stewart nuclear option includes 2026 NFL draft route Breer notes that, beyond the really obvious stuff from over the last few years, the Bengals left their comfort zone on the Ja'Marr Chase deal and made some scouting department shuffles after losing Christian Sarkisian. Advertisement But the Bengals will continue to lose the battle of public perception for the foreseeable future. Their history overshadows the fact that Hendrickson signed a short contract extension recently, is 30 years old, was granted permission to seek a trade and has walked back previous holdout threats. Cincinnati's history also, ironically enough, overshadows the fact that attempting to revise contract leverage, starting with Stewart, is another attempt at modernizing, considering some reporting says the language they want to insert is pretty standard for other teams. All of these are self-inflicted wounds. Some would call them growing pains for an organization trying to modernize. There will continue to be a lag between the team's more modern actions of late and actual public perception. Right now, players negotiating with the team are smart and within their rights to keep leaning into that leverage when possible. RELATED: Bengals standouts after mandatory minicamp includes surprises This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals crushed by earned reputation with major contract standoffs
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
How did Bengals react to Shemar Stewart's public bashing?
The Cincinnati Bengals haven't said much beyond the expected publicly when it comes to first-round pick Shemar Stewart. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor says the communication with Stewart is good and other coach-speak things. Defensive coordinator Al Golden has kept it succinct, saying he wants Stewart out there as soon as possible. Advertisement What's interesting, though, is considering how the team might've reacted to Stewart's brash, public comments before leaving the last day of minicamp early. Paul Dehner Jr. provided a glimpse: 'There's no direct blame on Stewart, a 21-year-old, for fully understanding the issues that have transpired on the business side, but the handling of the situation on the whole left an impression. His verbal bombardment of team brass before even taking a snap left a relevant question about who the Bengals acquired with this pick and how much maturing is necessary to reach his potential.' RELATED: Bengals, Shemar Stewart nuclear option includes 2026 NFL draft route Advertisement Frustration from both sides would be understandable at this point. The Bengals reportedly wanted to start a new precedent with certain contract language and Stewart doesn't have a lot of leverage in the situation. But he also not wanting to be the first makes sense. The Bengals not exactly loving a rookie speaking out in such a manner makes sense, too, so it'll be interesting to see if this drags into training camp and what happens then. But those Bengals have earned their reputation long ago and will continue to lose the battle in the court of public opinion no matter what ends up happening with Stewart. RELATED: Bengals standouts after mandatory minicamp includes surprises This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: How did Bengals react to Shemar Stewart's public bashing?
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bengals, Shemar Stewart contract standoff reaction from former All-Pro
How the outside world has reacted to the contract drama between the Cincinnati Bengals and first-round pick Shemar Stewart has been all over the place. How the Bengals themselves reacted to Stewart publicly bashing them has been up for discussion, too. Advertisement The widespread reactions have even reached former NFL players such as the retired Joe Haden, who talked about the situation with Kay Adams around the time Stewart left Bengals minicamp early. RELATED: Bengals, Shemar Stewart nuclear option includes 2026 NFL draft route To keep it short, Haden bemoaned the entire situation and fell on the side of those who think it's a terrible thing all around that Stewart has already left the team early after being very vocal with his frustration. The Bengals have between now and training camp to really iron out the issues with the rookie before things get even messier. Advertisement Haden's reaction: RELATED: Bengals standouts after mandatory minicamp includes surprises This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals, Shemar Stewart contract standoff reaction from former All-Pro
