Two of the Bengals’ top players are not practicing in training camp.
Star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase hasn’t practiced since camp opened, and although he and coach Zac Taylor won’t say why, Chase obviously wants to get paid a lot more money than the $1.055 million base salary he’s due this year. Bengals owner Mike Brown has indicated he doesn’t see a new contract for Chase coming any time soon. They’re at an impasse and Chase appears to be in no hurry to get on the field for a team that won’t pay him what he thinks a player of his caliber deserves.
And defensive end Trey Hendrickson has now missed three practices in a row after participating on the first day of training camp. Hendrickson requested a trade early in the offseason, but he later said he wants to play for the Bengals a long time. Hendrickson is due to make $15 million this season and $16 million next season, so he’s not as underpaid as Chase is, but he clearly thinks he deserves more. Given that he has 39.5 sacks in his three seasons with the Bengals, including a career-high 17.5 last year, it’s hard to disagree.
The team isn’t saying much publicly, and neither is either player. But no team wants its best pass catcher and its best pass rusher to be on the sideline, and that’s where the Bengals’ best pass catcher and best pass rusher are now.
Rookie tight end Erick All has been cleared to start practicing with the Bengals.
The team announced that All was activated from the non-football injury list on Sunday. All tore his ACL while playing for Iowa last October, but the Bengals still took him in the fourth round of this year’s draft.
All transferred from Michigan to Iowa last year and had 21 catches for 299 yards and three touchdowns before his injury. He also missed most of the 2022 season because of a back injury, but had 38 catches for 437 yards and two scores for the Wolverines in 2021.
Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample, and Tanner Hudson are also on the tight end depth chart in Cincinnati.
Patrick Mahomes has seen plenty of items on his cell phone device in recent days about quarterbacks from other teams making more and more and more money. Because the media has generally accepted new-money annual average as the universal currency for ranking player pay, it looks like Mahomes is woefully underpaid.
The three-time Super Bowl winner, whose worst outcome in any of his six seasons as a starter is losing in overtime of the AFC Championship, has a new-money APY of $45 million. Three quarterbacks (Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love) are at $55 million. Five others (Tua Tagovailoa, Jared Goff, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts) are north of $50 million.
But there are other ways to look at these contracts. One way is to focus on the cash to be paid in the coming years.
And from 2023-26, as well as 2024-27, one player still leads the way in four-year cash flow. It’s Mahomes.
Here’s the four-year cash flow from 2023 through 2026, per a source with access to the numbers:
1. Mahomes: $210.6 million.
2. Lamar Jackson: $208 million.
3. Deshaun Watson: $184 million.
4. Joe Burrow: $181 million.
5. Daniel Jones:: $160 million.
6. Justin Herbert: $157 million.
7. Jalen Hurts: $157 million.
8. Kyler Murray: $153 million.
9. Josh Allen: $136 million.
10. Matthew Stafford: $121.5 million.
With recent deals included, here’s the four-year cash flow from 2024 through 2027:
1. Mahomes: $215.6 million.
2. Burrow: $213.9 million.
3. Jared Goff: $193.6 million.
4. Tua Tagovailoa: $186.1 million.
5. Jordan Love: $186 million.
6. Hurts: $184 million.
7. Herbert: $182.6 million.
8. Kirk Cousins: $180 million.
9. Jackson: $179.2 million.
10. Trevor Lawrence: $155.5 million.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the player will cash every check. Jones, for example, has little chance of making the $160 million he was due to earn from 2023 through 2026. Ditto for Cousins and his $180 million in Atlanta.
It’s still a factor. An important one. Along with other important factors, like signing bonus, full guarantee at signing, practical guarantee at signing, and the number of years until the team can activate an escape hatch from the rest of the deal.
For some reason, the media at large only ever looks at new-money APY.
Yes, Mahomes still lags on that factor. But he was due to make more than anyone from 2023 through 2026. And he’s due to make more than anyone from 2024 through 2027.
And that’s still a bargain for the Chiefs and for the NFL.
Although the Bengals are still a little cheap when it comes to spending money, they’ve become more creative when it comes to making money. They’ve sold the naming rights to their stadium, for example. And they have a sports-betting partner.
Well, they had one.
Via the Cincinnati Business Courier, Betfred is pulling the plug on its deal with the team, because the company is leaving Ohio next month.
The Bengals will look for another sports book partner.
Sports betting has become big business for the NFL, a money-for-nothing enhancement to the bottom line.
Does it matter for the companies who do the deals? Betfred’s association with the Bengals didn’t move the needle. It ranked 15th out of 19 mobile Ohio sports-betting providers in May.
Last month, we took a look at the candidates to be the first player to reach $60 million per year in new-money average.
This week, three names exited the list.
Matthew Stafford, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jordan Love resolved their contract issues. The highest-paid of the trio — Love — fell $5 million short.
So who’s next to get paid, and will he become The Six Million Dollar Man, times ten?
The most obvious candidate continues to be Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. The Cowboys have no way of keeping him from the open market in 2025. Prescott has no qualms about holding firm for what he wants. The question remains whether Jerry Jones, who constantly praises Prescott when the audience consists of those who would buy tickets to games, has to decide whether to put his money where his mouth is, when it comes to the player.
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy becomes eligible for a new contract after the 2024 regular season ends. While he could get to $55.1 million (leapfrogging a three-year tie at $55 million), $60 million will be a bridge too far — even if he wins a Super Bowl this year.
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is two seasons away from eligibility for a new deal. Given that none of this year’s new deals have beaten the high-water mark set by Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow last year, it very well could be that no one will get to $60 million before Stroud signs his second deal.
Then we have the guys who have already gotten paid who might be closing in on another bite at the apple — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Mahomes, at $45 million per year, received a bump in his cash flow last year. He’ll likely get another before he signs a new contract, given that it runs into the next decade. Allen, as previously mentioned, is due to get paid again.
And Jackson, who should have had his second contract two years earlier than he got it, might be thinking about accelerating the timetable for his third, especially since the two-time league MVP has now seen six quarterbacks jump his $52 million per year. And, between them, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert ($52.5 million), Lions quarterback Jared Goff ($53 million), Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa ($53.1 million), and Burrow, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and Packers quarterback Jordan Love ($55 million), have zero NFL MVP wins.
So who’s next? And who gets to $60 million first? Prescott or Purdy will be next. Prescott or Stroud are likely to get to $60 million — unless Mahomes, Allen, or Jackson successfully force the issue.
