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The Cincinnati Bengals at least tried to shop Andy Dalton to the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars before releasing him.
Both the Jaguars and Patriots made perfect sense as Dalton landing spots via trade or free agency after things fell through with the Chicago Bears courtesy of the front office there trading for Nick Foles.
Here’s some perspective from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer:
That said, how this went should further color where the Jaguars and Patriots are at the position. Cincinnati shopped Dalton to both, and neither showed much interest. And that—after his release detached him from the $17 million base that made him impossible for the Bengals to keep—neither wound up with him, despite both teams offering a clearer path to playing time, and despite Dallas only having to pay $3 million in base to get him, should say what you need to know about where they stand.
Once free to the open market, Dalton decided to stay in Texas and sign with the Dallas Cowboys as Dak Prescott’s backup. Dalton has explained the decision. And funnily enough, his contract has Super Bowl-winning incentives — just in case.
The fact Dalton didn’t sign with the Patriots or Jaguars as a free agent doesn’t necessarily speak to his value around the league. New England is strapped for cash and wants to see what it has with Jarrett Stidham and Jacksonville just blew up the roster for a rebuild around Gardner Minshew. Both teams would’ve had to bring in a new quarterback well after the draft during a summer of unknown delays, if not cancellations.
While it’s unfortunate the Bengals couldn’t get anything in return for Dalton, whether they botched his trade market is an interesting debate.
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