Now that Sedrick Ellis has agreed to a five year deal with the New Orleans Saints, the Bengals are one of two remaining teams who drafted in the top 15 that have not signed their 1st round pick. Given that the Bengals have a history of "waiting and seeing" both on draft day and in getting their first round picks signed, WDR wonders how long our first round and 9th overall pick, Keith Rivers, will remain unsigned and not participate in training camp.
There have been obstacles to reaching agreement. Who knows what Rivers is insisting on? Perhaps it is unreasonable. 2010 is currently an uncapped year, which throws a wrench into negotiations. Also, the other outstanding pick is 8th round selection, Derrick Harvey of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Without this pick, Rivers isn't slotted by having a contract ceiling created by the 8th overall pick and a floor created by the 10th overall pick. However, while the Chickster has a good message for Rivers (which is probably somewhat accurate), WDR has a message for the Bengals' front office. 13 other teams in the top 15 have gotten their pick signed! 13 out of 15 teams have overcome these obstacles. Last year, our linebacker corps was HORRIBLE, maybe the worst in NFL history. We had Chinedum Ndukwe, a 7th round pick and safety, playing linebacker for a good part of a game last year. We took a stud young defensive end (Robert Geathers) off his course in his development so he could fill the gap and play linebacker for part of the season. We need our first round linebacker in camp as soon as possible to lead the defense and provide stability to this unit. Must we wait for Jacksonville to come to terms? Are we really fine with letting everyone else in the NFL figure their salaries out and getting their players into camp on time while ours are not? Is that what it's come to? Get it done already!
Indeed, we always seem to be one of the last teams to get everyone in camp. It's probably because agents know we're a third rate operation and they take their time to try to extract whatever they can.
However, I think the rookies are getting abused by their agents on average in these cases. The amount they haggle over doesn't usually appear to be meaningful in the long run at first glace and missing training camp always seems to have a terribly harmful effect on the rookie.
Posted by: Sleeping With Bieniemy | July 30, 2008 at 01:11 PM
Agree with everything written. Rivers is going to be a HUGE part of our defense this year, so the Bengals need to get him in camp and stop worrying about what other teams do. If you give him an extra million or two, deal with it. Getting your best players in camp helps you WIN during the season, and then you will recoup those lost million(s).
Posted by: Nick | July 30, 2008 at 05:47 PM
Rivers will be huge, but if your name ends in Brown - Money is money.
Posted by: Rich | July 31, 2008 at 05:23 PM
Rivers should be demoted to second string. Screw him and his agent. They believe in his ability enough to make him an NFL STARTER without playing a single snap. I mean, everyone around him except #8 has signed. You're not getting $50 M from Mike Brown buddy. I bet he's the last 1st rounder signed. I bet our defense will suck balls this year.
BTW, look at what the Patriots are able to do. Jerod Mayo got less than several players picked behind him. I think his total contract is worth around $20 M. Rivers will probably get $30 M. It's the misery factor--his agent is probably arguing that, unlike Mayo, Rivers will never play in a playoff game as a Bengal, so he deserves more money.
Posted by: The Truth | July 31, 2008 at 11:16 PM