Andy Dalton Confident Deal Will Get Done With Cincinnati Bengals After Mike Brown’s Comments

Jun 11, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) during minicamp at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

As training camp opened for the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday, a couple of the questions surrounding the team were how long negotiations on a new contract for quarterback Andy Dalton would drag out and how that would affect the team as they prepare for the 2014 season.  Ahead of camp this week, owner Mike Brown addressed the situation and lavished Dalton with glowing remarks, either in an attempt to allay fears or to put pressure on the young QB to accept the offer in front of him.  Dalton spoke with media members on Thursday and seemed encouraged by Brown’s praise, as reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer‘s Paul Dehner, Jr.:

Brown’s big punchline from Tuesday’s comments was that Dalton deserves to make Colin Kaepernick money, as Coley Harvey (ESPN) tweeted:

Unspoken in that sentiment is the general notion that Kaepernick’s shiny new six-year, $126 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers is generally seen as team-friendly.   While Kaepernick is guaranteed $61 million in the pact, the rest of the money is based on incentives related to playoff appearance and success, and to personal awards (MVP, etc.). 

That general structure would seem to make sense for Dalton and the Bengals, too, as the major concern at this point is that the team has exited in the first round of the playoffs each of the last three seasons.   If their in-the-media kibitzing is any indication, Brown and Dalton have apparently come to the same conclusion and need to work out the details.

Hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later.