just heard... Skins Offer for Chad Johnson Turned Down

[Hoofbite]

As much as I like the idea of a coach/team finally just sticking it to a player whose a turd, I think the Bengals should probably just ship the guy off.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Maybe there was no offer

From PFT

BENGALS SAY NO OFFER HAS BEEN MADE FOR JOHNSON

Posted by Mike Florio on April 22, 2008, 1:28 p.m.
On Tuesday morning, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported that the Washington Commanders have offered the Cincinnati Bengals a first-round pick in 2008 and a conditional pick in 2009 that could escalate to a first-rounder for receiver Chad Johnson.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis says that it never happened.

That makes more sense... I can't see how they'd turn down that alleged offer.

And good for Marvin for calling out Chad as a "man of his word". :clap2:

 

[iceberg]

so this means McFadden or Roy Williams or no WOW player on offense this year.

so, tell me....do you like mcfadden? i'm not quite sure yet.

 

[Rampage]

so, tell me....do you like mcfadden? i'm not quite sure yet.

just a lil bit, berg. i like winning something meaningful.....something this team hasn't done in the last 12 seasons.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

2, stupid teams negotiating, no wonder a deal wasn't reached

 

[Valor]

I thought Snyder, humbled by his excesses, promised an off-season of "restraint." Liar.

 

[Cowboysfan22]

The bengals won't give away Chad for draft picks he's just to good.

 

[montgod]

Even though that's an insane deal... I think they were looking at the cap number as well.

Come June 1st, I definitely see Chad being traded, but what will the price be then?

I can't see anyone offering a deal like that again for Chad.

 

[iceberg]

just a lil bit, berg. i like winning something meaningful.....something this team hasn't done in the last 12 seasons.

great. i just wish you'd talk about the possiblity that drafting him or not has no bearing on whether or not he will be that person to get us or any team over the top.

seems i can name a lot more can't misses that missed than didn't.

 

[Bleu Star]

the driveway situps are coming soon.

WHen lunatic johnson finds out about this he is going to show up on a radio or tv show somewhere and throw another fit.

I cant wait. Driveway situps are awesome.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Wow, guess the offer was for real and they refused it... For some reason.

LEWIS ADMITS THAT OFFER WAS MADE
Posted by Mike Florio on April 22, 2008, 4:32 p.m.

In a stunning but not surprising move, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has reversed course, and he now admits that the Commanders made a specific contract offer for receiver Chad Johnson.

“Once I actually read what was reported, I have to be truthful and say that the story is accurate,” Lewis said on Tuesday afternoon, according to ESPN. “Unfortunately, I didn’t read it until after our press conference.”

So why wasn’t he truthful in the first place? Because he didn’t know that there was a published report that an offer was made?

We think that Lewis also opted to lie about the offer (a first-rounder in 2008 and a third-rounder that can upgrade to a first-rounder in 2009) because he is concerned that the magnitude of the package that the Commanders put on the table will prompt a storm of pressure from the fans and the media to do the deal. The Bengals, who can no longer use the “loyalty clause” to force players to not say mean things about the team, can now merely force a player against his will to play for the Bengals or no one after he decides to pop off publicly.

We also suspect that Lewis received a nod of approval from owner Mike Brown to acknowledge that the offer was indeed made, because we think that Brown is so determined to not trade Johnson that he wants people to realize what the Bengals have rejected in order to keep him.

But this approach will only prompt more criticism and frustration from the fans who have grown tired of Chad Johnson’s routine. The organization might be ready to go to the mattresses over this, to the detriment of the franchise’s prospects for the coming campaign and beyond, but the fans aren’t.

The offseason is all about selling hope. The notion that the Bengals have turned down a chance to pick up real value for Johnson and remove that dark cloud now hovering over the Queen City will likely cause many a Cincy fan to abandon hope, only days before the one event in the non-football months that typically produces the most of it.

 

[scottsp]

To me, this sort of rumor would further confirm the Bengals ineptitude ...if I believed it to be true. But this sounds very suspicious to me. Smells like a load of B.S.

I don't believe any such offer was rejected. Or made.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Wow, guess the offer was for real and they refused it... For some reason.

It's all about the cap. Something like $8 million+ cap hit for the Bengals to trade Johnson. The cap hit splits if they do it after June 1st. That's a more feasible, but still a big hit for a guy no longer on the team.

Even still, if you look at the players with big disputes over the years, they usually perform quite well if they can. Even Owens was producing at a high level with the Niners and Eagles when he was going thru his troubles. Randy Moss seems more or less the exeption to the rule. Because it can cost a player money in the long run if they purposedly play poorly. So Johnson will likely play this year for Cincy and probably produce pretty well, even though he's an annoyance.



YAKUZA

 

[Yakuza Rich]

To me, this sort of rumor would further confirm the Bengals ineptitude ...if I believed it to be true. But this sounds very suspicious to me. Smells like a load of B.S.

I don't believe any such offer was rejected. Or made.

Why? It's a huge cap hit for them to trade Johnson right now. Let's say they trade him, they still have to find a receiver to take over his spot. Let's say they draft DeSean Jackson. Now they are essentially paying $9 million this year in cap money for DeSean Jackson.



YAKUZA

 

[CrazyCowboy]

the beagles should of taken that offer

 

[Valor]

http://img91.*************/img91/8473/72751429ff2.jpg

 

[TheSkaven]

As others have said, though, if the Commanders would offer two 1's for Chad Johnson, they'd make the same offer for Roy Williams in a heartbeat. I think the bar has been set.

Do you trade both 1's for Roy Williams?

 

[MWH1967]

Skins offer '08 first-rounder, '09 pick for Johnson; Cincy says no

By Chris Mortensen
ESPN.com
(Archive)




<DIV class=sp-col1>Updated: April 22, 2008, 8:39 PM ET

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iHow serious are the Cincinnati Bengals about not giving in to Chad Johnson's trade demands?
Serious enough to swat away an offer from the Washington Commanders that could have netted the Bengals two first-round draft picks, team and league sources said.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, who initially denied the team had received offers for Johnson during a Tuesday news conference, confirmed to ESPN that Cincinnati turned down Washington's offer of two picks.
"Once I actually read what was reported, I have to be truthful and say that the story is accurate," Lewis told ESPN. "Unfortunately, I didn't read it until after our press conference."
The Commanders offered their first-round pick, No. 21 overall, and a conditional third-rounder in 2009 that could escalate to a first-rounder if Johnson and the Commanders hit certain performance levels, the sources said.

Two For One

It took the Commanders' top two receivers to surpass the production of the Bengals' Chad Johnson last season.

PlayerRec.YardsTDsSantana Moss 61 808 3 Chris Cooley 66 786 8 TOTALS 127 1594 11 Chad Johnson 93 1440 8

It was not the first time the Commanders approached the Bengals about a deal, but it was the first significant proposal.
Lewis says the disgruntled receiver who wants out of Cincinnati should keep his word and sit out the season.
"I've stated our case with Chad," Lewis said. "He has a contract through 2011. He's stated without an opportunity to go to a different team and a new contract, he wasn't going to play. I think he's a man of his word and says he's not going to play, so don't play."
The Bengals have not only rejected the Commanders, but two other NFC East suitors -- the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles -- have been informed that there has been no change in the team's position that Johnson's contract will remain with the Bengals.
The Bengals have noted to those suitors that Johnson has been the "second-highest paid receiver" in the NFL during the past three years, indignant about suggestions that Johnson also wants a new contract, the sources said.
Trading Johnson also would mean Cincinnati would take an $8 million salary cap hit, but the Bengals are currently $10.5 million under the cap and could restructure other contracts if they wanted to create even more space. Additionally, as one anonymous owner told ESPN.com, "There's nothing wrong with dead money. It's cash already paid and it's cash back in your pocket that you don't have to spend, especially with the [high] amount of everyone's salary cap these days."
Johnson became the epitome of Cincinnati's 7-9 season when he sniped at quarterback Carson Palmer during a loss to New England. Johnson ran the wrong route on a pass play, resulting in a game-turning interception. He initially blamed Palmer for the problem.
Since the end of last season, Johnson has been lobbying for a trade even though he agreed to a long-term deal with the Bengals two years ago. Johnson's contract would pay him $3 million next season and extends through 2010, with a club option for 2011.


Other teams have traded away stars when they started becoming divisive. Bengals owner Mike Brown has a history of refusing to give in to player demands. When running back Corey Dillon tried to force the team to trade him in 2003, the Bengals waited until after the season to send him to New England.
In that case, it was more about getting rid of a player they no longer needed -- Rudi Johnson had emerged as the starter -- than it was about satisfying Dillon.
The Bengals need Johnson in the short term. No. 3 receiver Chris Henry was released after yet another arrest earlier this month, leaving the Bengals with little depth at the position. They might take a receiver high in the draft this weekend.
Last week, when Palmer told reporters that Johnson had assured him he would show up for mandatory team activities, the receiver took issue with him.
On Tuesday, Palmer declined to discuss it further.
"I take it with a grain of salt," said Palmer, who is working out with the team in Cincinnati. "I've moved on and I'm over it. I'm not really going to comment on it much more."
Asked if the two could get along if Johnson stays, Palmer said, "I've always been a forgiving guy, and I hope he's here because he's a good player, and I hope to see him here."
It's been an eventful month for the Bengals. Besides getting rid of Henry, they had linebacker Odell Thurman reinstated by the NFL on Monday. Thurman was suspended for the last two seasons after skipping a drug test and getting arrested for drunken driving.
Lewis said Thurman still must prove he can stay out of trouble.
"There's an opportunity, possibly, if we want, to keep him on the football team and have the opportunity for him to compete for a roster spot," Lewis said. "He's got to do things the right way constantly. That still remains to be seen, whether he can handle that kind of scrutiny day-in and day-out."
Chris Mortensen covers the NFL for ESPN. ESPN.com's James Walker and The Associated Press also contributed to this report.

 

[iceberg]

As others have said, though, if the Commanders would offer two 1's for Chad Johnson, they'd make the same offer for Roy Williams in a heartbeat. I think the bar has been set.

Do you trade both 1's for Roy Williams?

i don't think i could do that.

 

[bysbox1]

i don't think i could do that.

I would not do that either. I don't know who have lost their marbles more . . . the Skins for making the offer or the Bengals for not taking it.