The 115 Million Dollar Man

While one half of Cincinnati rejoiced on Monday, the other half cried out in agony. The reason? Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals agreed to a six year $115 million dollar contract.

This was a huge shock to fans of the Bengals, myself included. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined that the Bengals would shell out that kind of cash to lock up Dalton to a contract before he won a postseason game.

As I said in the “The Dalton Dilemma,” I believed that Dalton’s contract should have been based on what he does this upcoming season. Even though Dalton has helped lead the team to three straight playoff appearances in his first three seasons with the team, the Bengals have lost every single time, and Dalton’s performance in the postseason has been underwhelming as he has thrown only one touchdown and six picks.

This contract is very similar to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s contract. Both were drafted in 2011, and both have guided their teams to the postseason. The huge difference between these two men is that Kaepernick has actually won in the playoffs while Dalton has struggled mightily and has yet to give Cincinnati its first NFL postseason win since 1990. So while many people feel Kaepernick has earned his money, many more feel that Dalton has not, which is why his lucrative contract blindsided many Bengal fans.

This contract also brings with it many ripple effects, mainly what to do with other players on the Bengals such as Vontaze Burfict and A.J. Green. As of now, Burfict and the Bengals have not agreed to a new contract, and the Bengals exercised their fifth year option on Green. Burfict has been one of the best defensive investments the Bengals have had in years, and he is, unquestionably, worth a ton of money. Green has been Dalton’s favorite target ever since the two started their NFL careers together in the Queen City, and it can be argued that Dalton would not have had so much success as the quarterback of the Bengals had it not been for Green. Seeing as how Dalton signed an enormous contract, Green could demand a similar contract should he choose to stay with the Bengals.

Now I am not bashing Dalton. In fact, I am one of the few Bengal fans that like Dalton as he has been the most successful quarterback of the Bengals I have seen in my lifetime. However, giving him a contract based on seasons in which his playoff performances were lackluster with postseason victories being nonexistent seems foolish to me. But it is Mike Brown’s money, and he can do with it whatever he wants. All I can do is continue to root for the Bengals and hope they bring the Lombardi Trophy to Cincinnati.

Who-Dey!