In a rather shocking turn of events, Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown says the team won’t extend And Dalton this offseason.
Though new head coach Zac Taylor has been a rabid defender of Dalton so far this offseason, Brown says he wants to see the quarterback get back into form next season before committing.
Fletcher Page of the Cincinnati Enquirer had the quote: “I think it’s a good year for (Dalton) to show like he can, like we think he will. After he re-establishes himself we would want to get together with him and see if we can extend it.
It is a surprisingly candid admission from the normally conservative Brown, though he admittedly already left his comfort zone this offseason with the hiring of Taylor.
Dalton, 31, is under contract through 2020, though the Bengals don’t lose anything financially if they wanted to cut ties now. They clearly don’t — but an extension isn’t on the table either.
It will be interesting to see if the Bengals get some competition behind Dalton this year to provide some pressure. The draft is rather open ended now after free agency at least moderately addressed all of their needs.
With the quiet part said out loud now, Dalton’s officially heading into a prove-it year under a new head coach.
