It is no secret Zac Taylor likes longtime Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton.
It also isn’t a secret 2019 is something of a prove-it year for Dalton under Taylor.
Given all the circumstances, ESPN’s Dan Graziano ranks Cincinnati’s commitment to Dalton 29th in the league:
All of the guarantees in Dalton’s contract have long been paid, so his $16 million salary this year and his $17.5 million 2020 salary are NFL funny money. The contract was signed long enough ago that Cincinnati isn’t even carrying dead signing bonus money. The Bengals could cut Dalton today and not owe him another penny.
The list seems to weigh contract status above everything else, which is why New England-Tom Brady and Los Angeles Chargers-Philip Rivers are the two spots right above Dalton.
But the point indeed stands: if Dalton falters in 2019 under a new head coach, things could get interesting.
We can pretend all we want Mike Brown publicly saying the Bengals won’t extend Dalton this offseason is the typical approach. But it was an oddly honest answer for a normally conservative owner. And the new head coach turned right around and traded up for quarterback Ryan Finley. They can be adamant Finley is a backup, but things change quickly in the NFL.
As such, Cincinnati’s commitment to Dalton is indeed loose. He’s essentially playing under a contract year in 2019 and only a return to form and a good fit with his new head coach will earn him a longer stay.
