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It is beginning to look like the Cincinnati Bengals won’t be able to find a trade partner for Andy Dalton.
The idea sounds good — unload Dalton for some sort of return while freeing up his $17.7 million cap hit just as the Joe Burrow era begins.
Easier said than done.
And now there’s this from NBC Sports’ Peter King:
6. I think I keep hearing no one will trade for Andy Dalton and pay him $17 million this year in the last year of his deal. If he’s on the street, Dalton at $7 million for a year in New England makes the most sense to me. Hard to see Dalton going unloved, but he fits New England either short or long-term the best. I still expect the Patriots, after signing Brian Hoyer on Sunday, to look into signing a veteran.
Not that anyone needed inside sources to see this coming.
We’ve written repeatedly the better-than-usual quarterback carousel this offseason came at a horrible time for the Bengals. The free-agent class alone had Tom Brady and Philip Rivers, never mind Teddy Bridgewater and others.
Needy teams that missed out on those guys like Chicago went out and traded for Nick Foles instead. New England is reportedly not interested in Dalton at all.
There are many factors at play here. The contract is certainly one of them. Dalton perhaps isn’t as highly regarded as some would think, especially compared to someone with potential upside like Bridgewater. It’s also worth asking what the Bengals want in return for him.
Regardless of the precise factors, it all continues to point at the Bengals cutting Dalton without any return via trade. It’s nice to have the cap space — but it’ll linger as a “what if?” item if it happens.
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