The Cincinnati Bengals have suspended left tackle Cordy Glenn for Week 7, which only feels like the beginning of the public unraveling of a relationship struggling behind the scenes for some time.
From a contractual standpoint, an initial report already suggested the Bengals had fined Glenn $200,000 for conduct detrimental to the team. According to The Atheltic’s Jay Morrison, Glenn’s suspension will cost him another $426,471.
Overall, Glenn has a five-year deal worth $60 million. The final two years — this year and next — are cap hits of $9-plus million. This lucrative extension forged by Buffalo is one of the reasons the Bills were willing to deal him to Cincinnati in the first place.
The Bengals don’t have an easy out on this contract, either, per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic:
A trade would help the Bengals save cap space. And while that’s the ideal scenario for the front office, it has no leverage — most teams presumably aren’t going to trade for a tackle on a big contract who has been injured since the preseason and has team violations. The NFL knows Glenn isn’t long for the roster and should be available.
The Bengals also can’t just keep doling out discipline to recoup the money without proper reasoning based on infractions. Presumably, since this whole situation reportedly stems from the handling of Glenn’s concussion, the two sides will engage in an eventual grievance.
Cincinnati currently has about $14 million in free cap, which projects to balloon to around $59.8 next year before extensions, free agency and the draft. If the Bengals move on from Glenn, that adds another $9.5 million to the total.
