Andy Dalton was recently released by the Cincinnati Bengals after the team drafted Joe Burrow with their first overall pick. At the end of the day, the Bengals' decision to release Dalton was entirely based upon his own request. Dalton believes he is good enough to be a starter in the NFL and he is hoping to make a splash with a new team.
Over the past week or so, there have been discussions that the New England Patriots would be the ones most interested in signing Dalton. Now, another AFC East team is reportedly throwing their hats into the ring. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN, the New York Jets could end up being the ones to land Dalton.
It's important to note that the Jets are simply looking into Dalton and that they have no immediate plans to sign him. Of course, it is a possibility although the Jets already have a starter, albeit, an unproven one, in Sam Darnold. If Dalton were to join the Jets, it's ambiguous as to whether or not he would get to be the starter right away.
Stay tuned for updates regarding NFL free agency as we will be sure to bring you the latest information.
Andy Dalton Reportedly Eliciting Interest From The Patriots
Andy Dalton is now a free agent following his release from the Cincinnati Bengals.
Andy Dalton enjoyed quite a bit of success during his first few years with the Cincinnati Bengals although it never resulted in a playoff win. During Dalton's tenure, the Bengals went 0-4 in the postseason, and just last year, the team had the worst record in the NFL. As a result, the Bengals were awarded the first overall pick in the NFL entry draft and they ended up choosing quarterback Joe Burrow from LSU.
Dalton was well-aware of his future in Cincy and decided to ask to be released, thus making him a free agent. According to Bengals reporter Tyler Dragon, Dalton is already receiving quite a bit of interest from teams around the league. Two of the franchises that are the most interested are the Jacksonville Jaguars and, of course, the New England Patriots.
Ever since the Patriots lost Tom Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there have been rumors that the Patriots could go after a big-name quarterback. Dalton certainly fits that bill for the team although Cam Newton is still available if they so choose. Regardless, Dalton won't have a hard time finding work again.
Stay tuned for updates on this developing story as we will be sure to bring them to you.
Andy Dalton Released By Bengals Following Request
Andy Dalton is now officially a free agent.
When the Cincinnati Bengals finished the season with the worst record in the NFL, it became clear that they would be looking to draft a quarterback with the first overall pick in the NFL entry draft. Of course, that's exactly what they did as they chose Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow. This meant that QB Andy Dalton's days in Cincy were numbered and today, his fate was sealed. According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Bengals have officially released Dalton from the team, thus turning him into a free agent.
As it turns out, Dalton's release was entirely up to him. The veteran QB doesn't want to be anyone's backup and with the Bengals shifting their focus to Burrow, it only made sense that Dalton requested to be let go.
At this point, it remains to be seen what the market will be for Dalton, considering he has very limited playoff experience and hasn't had very good results in the last few years. Regardless, teams like the New England Patriots appear to be in need of an experienced QB and perhaps Dalton can fill that role.
Stay tuned for NFL free agency updates as we will continue to bring you the latest.
NFL Draft: Joe Burrow Officially Goes 1st Overall To The Bengals
Joe Burrow's incredible year at LSU has led him to become the 1st overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Joe Burrow had one of the most incredible seasons in college football history this past year and it immediately skyrocketed him in draft rankings. The LSU Heisman Trophy winner was being touted as the next first overall pick in the draft and since the Cincinnati Bengals were in need of a quarterback, he appeared to be the obvious choice. Well, the Bengals did what was right tonight as they took Burrow first overall in the inaugural virtual NFL entry draft.
The Bengals had 10 minutes to make the pick and for some odd reason, they took up over nine minutes but we guess it wouldn't be the draft without some sort of drama and intrigue.
Now, Burrow will have a chance to turn this Bengals team into legitimate contenders. Considering how bad management has been over the years, it's not going to be an easy task but he certainly has the skillset to be able to do it. If he plays like he did at LSU, he could very well become a league MVP in short order.
Let us know what you think of the pick and tell us who you're hoping your team takes in tonight's draft.
Peyton Manning Speaks With Joe Burrow About Rookie Year Expectations
Colts Legend Peyton Manning prepares Joe Burrow for life as a rookie in the NFL.
NFL Legend Peyton Manning has been in contact with presumptive first-overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, Joe Burrow. Manning expects hurdles in his rookie year but says that what rookie years are for.
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“He called me about some of the things that I tried to do as a rookie that maybe he can apply to his NFL career,” Manning told ESPN. “Looks like it’s going to be for the Cincinnati Bengals. What I told him, ‘Look, Joe, if you’re the first pick in the NFL draft, you are going to a team that has earned the first pick in the NFL draft. There are going to be some holes there. There’s a reason the Colts were picking No. 1 that year. There’s a reason the Bengals are picking No. 1 this year.'”
Burrow attended Manning’s training camp last year and the two have been in contact since.
Manning says Burrow will learn from early mistakes and build on them going forward with his career.
“[Then-Colts coach] Jim Mora never took me out,” Manning said. “I learned some things in the fourth quarter of those blowouts about what it took to be an NFL quarterback, and the next year we went from 3-13 to 13-3. That wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t have hung in there and learned the ropes as a rookie, even though we took some bumps and bruises.
“So that’s what I tried to encourage Joe and all the other rookie quarterbacks, that your rookie year is not going to be the same as your senior year in college. But if you learn how fast the defensive backs are, how soon you have to get rid of the ball, understand defenses, you can become a better player and really get it going the year or two after that.”
Manning threw an NFL record 28 interceptions his first year.
The NFL Draft is scheduled to begin on April 23.
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Bengals Intend To Franchise Tag AJ Green: Report
The Bengals will franchise tag AJ Green if a long term agreement is not reached by March 10.
The Cincinnati Bengals intend to use the franchise tag option on their star wide receiver A.J. Green, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler
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Fowler reported the news on his Twitter: "The Bengals currently plan to franchise tag wide receiver A.J. Green, as they want him in Cincinnati in 2020 either through the tag or a longer deal, sources told @DanGrazianoESPN and me. A good selling point for the team's No. 1 pick."
The team is expected to take quarterback Joe Burrow with the first pick in the draft.
The new pending collective bargaining agreement has caused negotiations between the team and Green, as well as Joe Mixon, to reach a standstill. If Green and the Bengals do not reach an agreement on a long-term deal by March 10, the team will use the franchise tag. Green's last deal was for four-year and worth $60 million.
“Give me a long term or just let me go,” Green told the Cincinnati Enquirer regarding the situation. He does not plan on participating in OTAs and possibly not in training camp if he gets hit with the franchise tag.
A franchise tag for the wide receiver position is worth $18,491,000 according to projections from OverTheCap.com.
Rehabbing from an ankle injury, Green did not play in 2019.
Report: Despite Rumors, Bengals Have No Plans To Trade 1st Overall Pick
Is Joe Burrow a lock for Cincinnati?
The Cincinnati Bengals will not be trading their 1st overall draft pick, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
While former LSU assistant Joe Brady will be taking over the offensive coordinator job for Carolina Panthers, Joe Burrow is still seemingly a lock for the Cincinnati Bengals. Burrow is routinely rated as the top prospect entering the draft and just won the College Football Playoff National Championship with LSU.
Burrow threw for a record 60 touchdowns this season with only 6 interceptions for 5,671 yards. He also boasted a 76.3% completion rate.
Despite being an obvious trade target for Carolina, Schefter says that sources close to the situation expect the Bengals to hold onto their pick.
"He definitely checks off a lot of boxes early on in the evaluation process," Bengals' quarterbacks' coach said on the teams' in-house website. "He's definitely an intriguing guy.
Burrow's father recently said that his son is, "excited to even be in that conversation." and that "if the Bengals do draft him, he's going to be happy."
"He'll look at it as a challenge," he continued. "But he'll be confident that eventually, they can win a lot of games there in Cincinnati."
Prior to transferring to LSU, Burrow spent three seasons at Ohio State and even went to high school outside of Cinncinati.
The NFL Draft will take place in April.
Report: Patriots To Be Disciplined For Filming Bengals’ Sideline
The Patriots will, reportedly, face disciplinary action.
The New England Patriots are expected to face discipline from the league for the incident involving the Cincinnati Bengals in December.
The team, reportedly, was caught filming the Bengals' sideline and the NFL's investigation has now confirmed the Patriots committed a game-day violation, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
"The #Patriots did, in fact, commit a game-day violation and they are expected to be disciplined for taping the #Bengals sidelines.. What’s not clear is if there is a link back to football operations, as not all security reports are back to the NFL offices," Rapoport tweeted.
ESPN's Adam Schefter also reported similar sentiments: "Patriots are expected to be disciplined for acknowledged gameday video violations in Cincinnati, per league sources. Discipline likely to come in the next two weeks, but not all security reports back to NFL yet."
Pats head coach Bill Belicheck commented on the reports soon after: "I heard about this and evidently this is our production people on the TV show that were there and I have absolutely nothing to do, we have absolutely nothing to do with anything that they produce or direct or shoot," he said. "I have never even seen any of their tapes or anything else. This is something that we 100 percent have zero involvement with. This is something you'd have to talk to the production people about and what they were doing, or whatever it was. We have never seen anything that they've shot, other than what has come down on TV."
The Patriots play against the Titans Saturday night for the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
Patriots Cleared Of Malicious Intent In Spygate 2 Investigation: Report
The Patriots may still face punishment.
A couple of weeks ago, the New England Patriots had the whole NFL world in a state of confusion as it was revealed that a camera crew hired by the team was caught filming the Cincinnati Bengals sideline. This was a big story because of the Patriots’ history of bending the rules. You’re not allowed to film a team’s sideline and fans were outraged by the Patriots’ alleged brazen attempts at getting ahead of the competition. Immediately after the news came in, the Patriots made sure to calm fans down by saying the cameraman didn’t know better and that they were hired by the media team, not the football operations team.
Bob Levey/Getty Images
According to Pro Football Talk, the NFL did a thorough investigation into the matter and revealed that the video crew had absolutely zero links to the team’s football operations. This means the Patriots are in the clear although they can still face punishment for the video crew’s actions. The crew’s actions are still against the rules regardless of intention. However, since the football operations weren’t involved, the punishment will be way less severe.
If you’re a Patriots fan, this is great news as this means your team will enter the playoffs with a clean slate. They take on the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Wild Card round on Saturday.
Bill Belichick Reportedly Cleared Of Wrongdoing In Spygate 2 Case
Bill is off the hook.
According to the Washington Post, Bill Belichick and his staff are expected to be cleared of all wrongdoing in the Bengals filming incident. The NFL’s investigation has found no evidence linking Bill Belichick or other members of the New England coaching staff to what is being called Spygate 2. Although the investigation clears Belichick and his staff, they may still face punishment. The investigation is expected to be completed as soon as this week, according to sources close to the situation. Unless something changes in the last-minute and more damaging evidence is uncovered, the NFL will most likely impose penalties consistent with other cases of game-day infractions. That may include a fine in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and possibly the loss or reduction in the value of a draft pick.
It is unclear when NFL will announce a decision on the case. Once NFL security officials finish their investigation, Commissioner Roger Goodell and other league leaders must review the findings and decide whether to conduct additional investigations. The Patriots were fined a total of $750,000 by the NFL and the team lost their first-round draft selection in 2007 in the first Spygate case when they were found to be taping opponents’ coach signals. For this recent case, the Patriots admitted violating NFL video policy during the Bengals-Browns game on December 8 in Cleveland.