The Facts:
This is the first year that Dalton can sign a contract extension. And the Bengals sound very open to signing him to a new deal. "At some point here in the future, representation from our people and his people will get together and try to discuss something," HC Marvin Lewis said Friday. "We feel good about what Andy has done over his first three seasons. And we hope to continue to help him and put people around him to allow him to play better and better."
Reported by NFL.com
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
When pressed, Lewis deflected Dalton's lack of development to the entire team. "We didn't play very good from the quarterback spot (in the playoffs)," Lewis said. "We didn't play very good on defense. We didn't play very good with protection. And you get beat when you do that. ..." As NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal suggests, it's possible contract talk won't go anywhere with Dalton this offseason. The Bengals should feel like they are negotiating from a position of strength because there shouldn't be a huge rush to give Dalton huge long-term money. If Dalton were a free agent this year, Rosenthal doesn't think he would have that strong a market. Hard to argue that contention -- although Dalton's 33 TD season will make him of considerable fantasy interest this summer.
Profile