Bengals
According to Bengals VP Troy Blackburn, this isn’t the right time to re-do QB Andy Dalton‘s contract.
“We didn’t sign the Andy Dalton deal because we thought it was a good deal. At the time it was an expensive deal. It was a heavy lift,” Blackburn said, via Bengals.com. “We did it because Andy was a winning starting quarterback in the National Football League, he had demonstrated that. We know statistically your best chance of success is by rewarding your own players and maintaining that quality core. That is what drove that. We are certainly aware quarterback deals have evolved since then. We know that at the right time we will have to evolve as well. We don’t think this is the time right now. What we are going to focus on right now is building the best team for 2018 we possibly can.”
Dalton said at TCU’s Pro Day on Friday that he feels like he’s “definitely trending upward.”
“I feel like it’s definitely trending upward,” Dalton said, via Pro Football Talk. “It’s every year it’s a new guy that’s making the most in the NFL, has the most guaranteed and all of that kind of stuff, but with the salary cap going on, there’s more money to hand out. I’m happy for Kirk. Kirk’s obviously played a couple of years on the franchise tag, so when you do that, he had leverage to get the contract that he got. We’ll see if it’s the new trend.”
Dalton added that he has no issues playing out the final two years of his contract.
“I’m still a couple of years away from my contract being up,” Dalton said. “It’s what I agreed to. It’s what I signed, so we’re going to let it all play out how it’s supposed to.”
Browns
Browns HC Hue Jackson admitted that he’s dreamed about the possibility of pairing Myles Garrett with N.C. State’s Bradley Chubb.
“I do at nighttime when I’m by myself,” Jackson said, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “You kind of play that scenario game with all these different guys. I wish I could have them all. There will be good scenarios as we come down to the end here.”
Jackson added that they’re clearly taking a quarterback before targeting impact football players at No. 4 overall.
“Obviously, as you guys have already pegged it, we’re taking a quarterback, and then here comes the No. 4 pick,” Jackson said. “We need impact football players, period, and that’s part of where we are. So here’s another opportunity to put some impact players on our team that can help us get to winning as fast as we can.’‘
- Albert Breer points out that having a good running back has helped a number of young quarterbacks out the past few years, which is why he thinks it would make sense for the Browns to draft Sam Darnold at No. 1 overall and then grab Saquon Barkley at No. 4 overall.
Patriots
Former Patriots CB Malcolm Butler tells Sports Illustrated that he couldn’t bring himself to approach HC Bill Belichick or DC Matt Patricia during the Super Bowl about his benching.
“There was times when I was on the sideline and I just wanted to go up and say to Belichick or Matt Patricia and just say, ‘Is this how we’re gonna end this?’ I grew up in the Patriots system and I’m a man of God. I respect my authority and I just couldn’t ask them for something they didn’t want to do,” Butler said, via Pro Football Talk. “I just was doing my job. I was close to going up there and saying what I wanted to say to Matt or Belichick, but I just stayed in my lane and just did my job. And I really wanted to go ask him, but I didn’t.“
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