Ziachild007 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Will Bengals trade Chad? BY MARK CURNUTTE | MCURNUTTE@ENQUIRER.COM E-mail | Print | digg us! | del.icio.us! Marvin Lewis didn’t actually deny the rumor today that the Bengals might consider trading wide receiver Chad Johnson in the offseason. Johnson, chased down this afternoon by a half dozen reporters in the players’ parking lot adjacent to Paul Brown Stadium, didn’t snuff out trade talk. “There is always truth in something,” Johnson said when asked about an ESPN report that the Bengals are thinking of trading him in the offseason. On the network’s pre-game show Sunday, NFL reporter Chris Mortensen said that a “prominent member of the Bengals organization recently told me recently that the organization does have a decision to make on Chad Johnson, that he is so passionate and proud that if they decided to discipline him for some of those antics they believe he might shut it down. “So how he finishes the rest of the year and the Bengals finish could bring them to a crossroads discussion on whether to even trade Chad Johnson in the offseason.” At his news conference, less than 24 hours after the Bengals defeated the Jets 38-31 to improve to 2-4, Lewis didn’t directly answer the question: Is there any truth to reports you might be looking to trade Chad Johnson? “Did that come from anyone here?” said Lewis, who is the Bengals’ “one voice,” per team policy, to the media. Told by a reporter that ESPN cited an official inside the Bengals organization, Lewis said, “Is there a source inside this organization? Not the last time I checked. I don’t think there (are) any sources inside this organization.” Did ESPN talk to you? “No.” Johnson actually has been more low-key on the field than in previous seasons. True, he slipped on a home-made hall-of-fame jacket after a touchdown in the opener Sept. 10 and jumped into Cleveland’s Dawg Pound on Sept. 16. Since then, Johnson has been quiet. He and quarterback Carson Palmer confronted each other after an interception in the New England game, and the question of whether Johnson ran the correct route on a Palmer interception Oct. 14 at Kansas City was asked in the post-game. After the humiliating loss to New England on Monday night, Oct. 1, Lewis pointed out that some of his players needed to be less selfish and more mature and team-oriented. Those comments were connected immediately to Johnson, based on the receiver’s on-field behavior during the New England loss. Now here’s the report of a possible trade. “It doesn’t bother me. There is always truth to things that are said,” Johnson said. “Always, there’s always some truth to it." Would you be surprised to be traded? "No. No. Exactly, that’s the business part of it,” he said. “That wouldn’t surprise me.” Johnson’s contract might make a trade financially difficult for the Bengals. The team and Johnson signed a minimum one-year contract extension in April 2006 that added a year to Johnson’s contract, through 2010, and gave the Bengals an option for 2011. Johnson was paid a $5 million signing bonus and a $5 million base salary for 2006. The Bengals have through 2010 to absorb $1 million per year of Johnson’s singing bonus on their salary cap. If they traded him after the 2007 season, the Bengals would have to absorb the remaining $3 million on the cap in 2008. Johnson's salary cap number this year is $7.515 million, the fourth largest on the team -- behind quarterback Carson Palmer ($13.48 million), defensive end Justin Smith ($8.64 million) and right offensive tackle Willie Anderson ($7.85 million). Johnson has been stung by the comments that he is a selfish player and negatively affecting his team in the locker room. Lewis defended his receiver later in his Monday news conference. “He set out this year to block better. I’m very happy with that,” Lewis said of Johnson. “And he’s seen the ball get spread out more, and he’s had no issue with that. He knows that in order for him to have the success he’s having, we need to be able to do other things correctly. “The biggest thing we continue to try to impress upon our guys … is that the opportunities we want come from making first downs. If we don’t convert on third down, I’ve told them, none of you are getting any shots at anything.” Johnson was stung, too, he said, by columnist Paul Daugherty’s comments in the Oct. 21 Cincinnati Enquirer. He asked if Johnson’s antics were worth the trouble. "And to write what he wrote yesterday, which I’m sure all of you saw, you’ve got to be kidding. You’ve got to be kidding me. You’ve got to be kidding me. It is what it is,” Johnson said of Daugherty, who wrote a book about Johnson last year. “Everything I’ve done has always been positive, it’s always been fun. It’s never been a me, me, me thing. It’s how Chad plays the game. … I’ve been playing it the same way the past four years. I celebrate. I have fun with it. It is a dirty business. And to get the business side of it off my mind, I go out and have fun with it like I’m a little kid.” Johnson is having a solid season. He said he and fellow wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh were praised for their downfield blocking in the Jets game, when the Bengals ran for a season high 177 yards. Johnson had just six receptions against the Jets, but he gained 102 yards, including a team long 56-yard catch. Johnson has 680 yards and three touchdown catches. Still, as a speed receiver, in January, Johnson will turn 30 – an age when receivers start to lose a step. Johnson doesn’t appear worried, if he should be traded, that he wouldn’t be welcomed elsewhere. "You know what’s funny, every player -- you’ve got 31 teams in the NFL beside us – every player, every coach loves 85'” he said in reference to his jersey number. “I guarantee that. Every coach and every player would love to have 85 on their team because they know what I bring to the table.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cunning Runt Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Might be time for a change for both the Bengals and Johnson both. I personally think he's kind of funny, but it would seem he's kind of worn out his welcome in Cincy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 (edited) 2008 Vikings acquisitions: HC Cowher QB McNabb WR Fitzgerald WR Ocho Cinco Me -> Edited October 23, 2007 by CaP'N GRuNGe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piratesownninjas Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 2008 Vikings acquisitions: HC Cowher QB McNabb WR Fitzgerald WR Ocho Cinco Me -> You=on drugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broncosn05 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 You=on drugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sox Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Chad isn't going anywhere.It's funny,when the team is winning his antic are in fun.When losing,they're a distraction.The offense would be much better(and it isn't bad now)if the OL would get healthy and Chris Perry and Chris Henry would return. The real problem on this team is the same problem they've had for the last five years.The putrid reeking roadkill of an excuse for a defense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Sherman Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 If the Bengals traded CJ, I believe he would be on a mission to show the Bengals they were wrong. Would be an awesome pickup for a team that is one/two players away from going to the play-offs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed46 Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Let him go to the Colts so Manning can have a field day (since Brady has Moss). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTurk Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Let him go to the Patriots so Brady can have a bigger field day. Brady should get147 TD's next year, thats only 9 per game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Give Childress another "me" guy. He deserves that. If he was an NFL coach, he could handle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 He brings this kind of attention on himself unfortunately. When you're on a losing team, everything gets magnified. I think he means well, and works hard, but he just has to cool it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc Nasty Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 2008 Vikings acquisitions: HC Cowher QB McNabb WR Fitzgerald WR Ocho Cinco Me -> Throw in Champ Bailey and Strahan and the Vikings will never win a Super Bowl. You should probably change teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 You=on drugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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