Bengals Sign DE Odom to 5-Year $30 Million Deal, With $11 Million Guaranteed

After 'losing' defensive end Justin Smith via free agency earlier in the week, the Cincinatti Bengals quickly to sign unrestricted defensive end Antwan Odom to a 5-year $30 million contract, including $11 million in guarantees. In his first season as a starter with the Tennessee Titans last year, Odom rang up 21 tackles, 8 sacks, and a team high 29 quarterback pressures. He will be looked upon to help a lousy Cincinatti defense that generated a paltry 22 sacks, good for last in the League.

Odom was a 2nd round draft pick out of Alabama in 2004, and He had the benefit of constantly seeing single blocks, as opposite Pro Bowl defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch was often drawing double teams, as was Pro Bowl defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. For his 4 year career, Odom has appeared in 52 games, including 32 starts, and has totaled only 82 tackles and 12.5 sacks.

To fill the void left by Odom's departure, the Titans will probably draft another defensive end or two in the upcoming NFL Draft in April, and will rely more on third year man Sean Conover. Based on the size of the contract and assumed playing time for Odom, the Titans are probably at looking at receiving a 4th or 5th round pick (in the 2009 Draft) from the NFL when they award compensatory draft picks later this year.

Vikings Ink Madieu Williams to 6-Year $33 Million Contract They'll Soon Regret

The Minnesota Vikings have made free agent safety Madieu Williams one of the NFL's highest paid safeties, agreeing to terms on a 6-year $33 million contract. The 26 year old safety cashed in during an atypical free agent year that is exceptionally thin at the position, and when the bulk of teams are flush with so much cap space that they are spending out of control. This is just the latest example of a team overpaying for average players, by about twice as much as they should.

Drafted as a 2nd round pick in 2004 out of Maryland, Williams has been a decent, but not spectactular contributor on the perpetually putrid defenses that the Cincinatti Bengals have had during the Marvin Lewis-coached era. Known for his coverage skills primarily, Bengals fans will remember Williams being a liability as a tackler, and will probably look forward to the team spending more draft picks to infuse the roster with some young defensive playmakers. If Cincinatti didn't make a play to re-sign their own starter from a notably weak secondary, that might be a good indication of his skill set and ultimate value.

Bengals Re-Sign LB Dhani Jones to 3-Year Contract

The Cincinatti Bengals have quietly re-signed one of their newcomers from last year who quickly turned into a veteran leader, by inking weakside linebacker Dhani Jones to a 3-year deal for an undiclosed amount. Numbers for the length of the deal and amoung guaranteed have not yet been leaked by the team or Jones' agent Don Yee, so it probably isn't a big contract, but the Bengals.com website reports that Jones is expected to pocket about $2 million in 2008.

Jones was signed to the team off the street/scrap heap on September 19 last year, after a rash of injuries to the linebacking core left the team scrambling for help. He provided veteran leadership to a team desperately seeking help after an abysmal start, and was the only Bengal to record two 10-tackle games in 2008.

Goodell Likely To Reinstate Thurman Before Camp

Mark Cumutte of the Cincinatti Frontier reports that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that a decision would be made on suspended Cincinatti Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman's future before the start of training camp. "What we wanted to do was get him back in a structured environment," Goodell said. "He's in the program. He can make progress. If he can do that, we will make a decision prior to training camp."

Thurman was supposed to be suspended for the first 4 games in 2006 due to a repeat violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy, and that suspension was increased to a full year following his arrest for a DUI in September of 2006. Before the 2007 season commissioner Goodell announced that Thurman would not be back for the 2007 season either, as he was still have troubling battling his addiction to alcohol. After already have served two full season due to suspensions, it sounds like Thurman is back with the program now and at least portrays and image of having his life together, so expect him to be reinstated prior to training camp, and back in a Bengals uniform in 2008.

Bengals Put Franchise Tag on OT Stacy Andrews, Wasting More Money

The Cincinatti Bengals have placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on offensive lineman Stacy Andrews, guaranteeing him a 1-year $7.455 million deal at the minimum. Andrews was a 4th round pick out of Ole Miss in 2004, and started 14 games for the Bengals in 2007, spending time at guard and tackle.

The difference between the exclusive and non-exclusive franchise tags is that with the non-exclusive tag, players are tendered a guaranteed 1-year salary equal to the average of the top 5 salaries at the position based on the previous year's (2007) numbers, yet the player is free to negotiate with any team, and if they sign with any other team than the one who franchised them, that team will have to forgeit two 1st round picks as compensation (unless a different deal is worked out ahead of time). With the exclusive rights franchise tag, no other team may negotiate with the player, and the team who tagged the player must tender a guaranteed 1-year salary equal to the average of the top 5 salaries at the position based on the current year's (2008) numbers.

The move is questionable at best for Cincinatti, who seem to think highly enough of a player who has started only 17 games in 4 years to guarantee him $7+ million a year. This move only continues to highlight the need for a real general manager and better front office, who can more adeptly manage the roster in the salary cap era. The notoriously cheap Bengals have the NFL's smallest personnel department, and no dedicated general manager, as head coach Marvin Lewis currently has full control over the roster, which is currently very thin on defense, which was allegedly Lewis' strength. Apparently managing personnel is not one of his strengths, and it's high time the Bengals hire more scouts and a real GM to clean up the mess in Cincinatti.

Redskins Interested In Ocho Cinco, Who's Interested In Big New Contract

Jason La Canfora from the Washington Post reports that the Washington Redskins have had internal discussions about acquiring recently troublesome Cincinatti Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson. "Numerous league sources, including some with direct knowledge of conversations between (Daniel) Snyder, (Vinny) Cerrato and recent head coaching candidates, have affirmed that the Redskins have interest in trading for Cincinati wide receiver Chad Johnson, with two league sources saying Johnson is eager to land a hefty new contract from Washington." Running his mouth for the greater part of a month to anyone who will listen, Johnson clearly wants out of Cincinatti, and "his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is working quietly to broker a deal, the sources said." Rosenhaus was able to work the back channels in a similar fasion in 2004 by brokering a blockbuster deal where the Denver Broncos sent his unhappy client Clinton Portis to the Redskins for cornerback Champ Bailey. Both players were angling for new contracts, and neither team that drafted them wanted to pay the asking price. Both went on to sign the richest deals in history (at the time) for a player at their respective position.

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Acquring Ocho Cinco would provide the Redskins with a dynamic receiver opposite the Napoleonic Santana Moss, whom Washington acquired in a 2005 trade with the Jets, parting ways with free agent bust Laveranues Coles. Pairing the 6'1" Johnson with the 5'10" Moss would allow Washington to stretch both sides of the field at once, while also providing an additional consistent threat for former 1st round pick quarterback Jason Campbell. It would most likely also cost the Redskins a boatload of money, as Johnson is reportedly unhappy with the 6-year $35.5 million contract he signed with the Bengals in 2006, and the 'Skins are reportedly willing to pony up significant dough as part of any new deal.

Trading for Johnson would allow the Redskins to dump the dissapointing Brandon Lloyd, after they gave up a 2006 3rd rounder and 2007 4th rounder in a 2006 trade with the San Francisco 49ers, and then awarded him a 6-year $30 million contract, with $12 million of that guaranteed, which seems like an incredible deal for a players with 25 catches and 0 touchdowns over the past 2 years, and is another endorsement of the brilliance of the Snyder/Cerrato tandem. A move for Ocho Cinco would also then allow Washington use tight end Chris Cooley as a $5 million a year 3rd receiver/tight end, and Antwaan Randle El as a $4.5 million a year 4th receiver.