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Updates from Monday, August 4

ESPN's Adam Schefter and Adam Caplan report Andy Dalton and the Bengals have reached an agreement on a new contract:

Updates from Thursday, July 31

CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reports where Andy Dalton and the Bengals are at in their current contract negotiations:

There has been no progress and no movement, according to sources, and while owner Mike Brown has made mention of the desire to get something done, using Colin Kaepernick's deal as a barometer of sorts, the reality is the sides aren't close. The disconnect between regular season and playoff stats is an issue, the lack of a real second tier of comparable quarterback contracts complicates things, and I continue to get the distinct impression that doing a short-term band-aid deal (a la Alex Smith), or a long-term deal that doesn't include much front-end coin) are things Dalton's camp isn't really interested in doing.

La Canfora also shared his thoughts:

I do not anticipate the Bengals and Dalton getting a deal done before the season starts, and barring some dramatic swing in production one way or the other, if it doesn't get done in the summer then it's likely tabled until January.

Updates from Wednesday, July 30

How does Andy Dalton currently feel about the progress of signing a contract extension? Dan Hanzus of NFL.com has the latest:

The fourth-year quarterback told NFL Media's Albert Breer on Wednesday that he's optimistic a contract extension is a "when" rather than an "if" proposition. "I'm confident. And both sides are working on it," Dalton said. "We haven't given a deadline, we haven't talked about a deadline. We don't expect it to get to that point, but if it does, it does."

Updates from Thursday, July 24

Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com provided an update on Andy Dalton's contract negotiations:

Original Text

Opinions regarding the next contract of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton run the gamut in NFL circles. Bengals owner Mike Brown's opinion is the only one that truly matters, though, and he made his feelings known regarding the future of his starting signal-caller.

According to ESPN.com's Coley Harvey, Brown's expectation is that Dalton's eventual new deal will be comparable to that of San Francisco 49ers gunslinger Colin Kaepernick:

Kap signed a six-year, $110 million extension with $61 million guaranteed back in June, per ESPN.com. That deal gave the Niners some cap flexibility, but it also made Kaepernick one of the league's highest-paid quarterbacks.

Kaepernick's contract is also rich with incentives, so he will have to perform in order to reap all the benefits of the deal. That is something Dalton wouldn't mind duplicating, according to Harvey:

You have to have confidence in yourself that you're going to be able to do things and that's what he did. He's confident enough where he's going to be able to play out the whole contract and he's going to be able to earn everything. So for me, I feel the same way. I feel confident with what I'm able to do.

Kaepernick, 26, helped lead the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game last season after taking them to the Super Bowl one year earlier. He is still developing, but his NFL success dwarfs Dalton's.

Dalton, also 26, has started every game since entering the NFL in 2011 and brought the Bengals to the playoffs in three straight seasons. He has yet to win a playoff game, though, and many question whether or not he is capable of being an elite quarterback.

One person who has no issue with Dalton being at the helm, however, is Bengals superstar wide receiver A.J. Green, per NFL.com's Kevin Patra.

"We came in together and that is the great thing for me and him," Green said. "I know he's my guy. I don't want any other quarterback throwing me the ball. I think he feels the same way about me."

Green's confidence is a microcosm of how the entire team feels about Dalton, if Brown is to be believed, according to Bengals announcer Dan Hoard:

Even so, there is no guarantee that a long-term deal will get done any time soon. Brown has yet to commit to Dalton beyond the upcoming season:

Brown has also admitted that using the franchise tag on Dalton next year is a possibility, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer:

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is confident that a deal will get done eventually, but he doesn't want it to distract from the task at hand, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:

Dalton may be deserving of a Kaepernick-esque deal from a statistical perspective, with over 11,000 passing yards and 80 touchdowns over three seasons. When push comes to shove, though, players are usually judged based on how they perform on the big stage.

The Red Rifle hasn't risen to the occasion in that regard, but franchises have to take a leap of faith at times or else they risk losing top players.

Dalton is still young and has plenty of time to develop into a great playoff quarterback. If the Bengals let him go and allow him to do so elsewhere, they risk losing a potentially elite franchise quarterback.



The Bengals are in a tough position right now, as the Dalton decision could impact the course of the franchise for many years to come.

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