Bengals tag Justin Smith

BENGALS DESIGNATE JUSTIN SMITH AS FRANCHISE PLAYER



The Bengals today designated DE Justin Smith as the team’s franchise player, under terms of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The franchise tag gives Smith the option to play for Cincinnati in 2007 for a salary equal to the average of the top five defensive ends in the NFL for the previous season (2006 in this case).

Smith is presently unsigned for 2007, and he will become an unrestricted free agent on March 2 if he does not reach a contract agreement with the Bengals prior to that date. The franchise-player designation means that the Bengals could retain Smith by matching any offer sheet he would sign from another team, and that if the Bengals declined to match a signed offer, the team signing Smith would be required to give the Bengals its first-round choices in the 2007 and 2008 NFL Drafts.

“We are pleased to designate Justin as our franchise player,” said head coach Marvin Lewis. “He has been a consistent performer and worker. This move helps us keep our core players together, and it gives us an opportunity to continue negotiating for a longer-term contract with Justin.”

Smith has played all six of his NFL seasons with the Bengals. In 2006, he led the defensive line in tackles (110) for the fifth consecutive season, and he achieved his highest career ranking (second) in the team tackling standings. He had a 50-tackle lead over the second-place lineman (John Thornton). He ranked second on the team in sacks (7.5), and raised his career sacks total to 41.0, ranked fourth all-time on the Bengals. He also had a line-best 4 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. He has started 91 consecutive games.

“The franchise option is designed to help a team retain the rights to a top player,” said Troy Blackburn, Bengals director of business development. “The players’ union supports it because it guarantees that player a salary commensurate with what he has accomplished.”

The Collective Bargaining Agreement permits a new agreement between Smith and the Bengals to be reached at any time prior to July 15.

Bah.

He's a pretty servicable lineman (In the right situation he might even be a monster), but I don't think he is worth Cincy dropping a tag on him.

GL

Dumb, IMO. He is not a play maker by any stretch.

Who else do they have to tag?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Heath

Who else do they have to tag?

---

Steinbach?

I think Steiny's gone. I hope I'm wrong.

Much rather have seinbach and I'd much rather use $8.6 Million to get Adalius thomas

Don't agree with this move. Don't think he's worth the average of the top five at his position. That puts his salary in some elite company.

I think you transition Steiny and Franchise Smith. Steiny will go elsewhere and you get the extra pick to make up for Brooks. Either Smith stays and you have a one season stopgap until a draft pick can take over, or he goes and you get two comp picks, a win win. In this year's defensive FA class, it makes sense.

More than likely, Smith will either sign a new contract or he will be traded for a 2nd or 3rd round draft pick if they can not work out a new contract.

People who think the Bengals will just be able to sign Adalius Thomas aren't thinking clearly. The Ravens would be idiotic to not franchise tag Thomas, just like the Patriots are going to tag Asante Samuel. This tag is there so teams keep their best/better players. If Thomas got onto the open market, somehow I do not believe the Bengals would outbid every other team in the NFL.

Steinbach would have cost even more money from the tag than Smith will. Of course Smith is not worth 8.6 million per year, but the Bengals have players who can fill Steinbachs position better than they currently can fill Justin Smiths.

How much longer until Bengals fans realize Mike Brown is the same old Mike Brown? This further proves it.

I'm glad to see it. He's from my wife's hometown and my brother-in-law was a trainer for his high school there (among other places). Feels like hometown for our family!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by beb30

Much rather have seinbach and I'd much rather use $8.6 Million to get Adalius thomas

---

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Not quite an Eric Milton-esque deal, but it certainly gives him an awfully high reward for fairly average production (3 sacks in game 1, 4 in the final 15)