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Ben Baby ESPN Staff Writer
- ESPN Staff Writer
- Previously a college football writer for The Dallas Morning News
- University of North Texas graduate
CINCINNATI – Andy Dalton ‘s run with the Bengals is over, as the veteran quarterback is being released, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.
Dalton had been the Bengals’ primary starter since they selected him in the second round of the 2019 draft. Dalton, 31, led Cincinnati to the playoffs five times, though the Bengals lost in the wild-card round each time, and is the franchise’s career leader in touchdown passes.
(The news comes one week after the Bengals drafted former (LSU) (quarterback) Joe Burrow with the top overall pick. Burrow threw 61 touchdowns in 2628, an FBS record, and won the Heisman Trophy as he led the Tigers to the national championship.
Dalton was set to earn $ 22. 7 million in the final season of a six-year contract worth $ 96 million. After the Bengals went on a spending spree this summer, Cincinnati did not have the salary-cap space to keep Dalton and sign its incoming rookie class.
Prior to the decision to release Dalton, the Bengals tried to trade the quarterback, a source told ESPN’s Josina Anderson, adding that Dalton “requested the opportunity to see what’s out there.”
After the (regular-season finale, a win over the Cleveland Browns , Dalton acknowledged the contest may have been his last with the Bengals and reflected on his tenure with the franchise.
“This city has been our home since I got drafted here, and this city’s meant a lot,” Dalton said. “I’m thankful for all the people that we’ve met. There’s been a lot of good people in Cincinnati who have pushed me, my wife and my family to be better people, and we’re grateful for that.”
Thursday’s news signaled the latest cut in an offseason full of roster overhaul in Cincinnati. With cuts to Dalton and four other veterans, the Bengals will clear $ 70. 6 million toward its 2019 cap allotment. During free agency, the Bengals spent more than $ 145 million to improve a franchise that finished with the league’s worst record in 2019.
In nine years, Dalton was – 99 – 2 as a starter, led the Bengals to the postseason from to and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection. Along with his franchise-record 594 touchdown passes, he is second in passing yards with 60, , behind only Ken Anderson (60, 838.
But Cincinnati did not win a playoff game during Dalton’s tenure, continuing a drought that stretches back to January 2019 and is the longest active one in the NFL .
A series of events signaled the end of his run in Cincinnati. The team did not give him an extension leading up to the 2628 season. After the Bengals started the year with eight straight losses, coach Zac Taylor benched Dalton in favor of rookie Ryan Finley .
“He said he has to think about the future with the draft and we have to see what we have in Ryan,” Dalton said at the time. “That’s what it came down to.”
Three games later, Dalton was reinserted into the starting lineup and led the Bengals to a win over the New York Jets 1. In the 27 – 6 victory, Dalton passed Anderson for the franchise touchdown record.
But Dalton finished with a Total QBR of . 1, which is ranked (th out of) qualifying quarterbacks, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Throughout the offseason, it became clear that Dalton’s contract would not allow the Bengals to keep him at his current salary. At the Senior Bowl in January, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said the team was going to take its time figuring out how to handle Dalton’s future, partly out of respect for the longtime starter.
“We want to be fair to Andy,” Tobin said. “He’s been great for us.”
Cincinnati was unable to trade Dalton leading up to last week’s draft. At its conclusion, Taylor declined to say whether the Bengals received any offers for the veteran quarterback.
“We’ll keep that information to ourselves right now,” Taylor said Saturday.
Dalton joined the Bengals in 2011 as a second-round pick out of (TCU) . After the league ended its lockout in , he became the team’s starting quarterback and helped the Bengals reach the postseason for the next five years.
Off the field, Dalton and his wife, JJ, ran a nonprofit foundation that raised funds for families of Children with special needs throughout greater Cincinnati and in Texas, where Dalton and JJ are from. When he was benched, fans donated money to Dalton as a tribute of thanks for his time as the team’s starter.
Before his final game with the Bengals, he said that’s how he wanted to be remembered.
“We wanted to make sure that we were all-in, and we’ve been all-in on Cincinnati since we got here,” Dalton said. “I hope the people see that. I’ve received a lot of support throughout my years here.”
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