Report: No Contract Discussions Going On Between Cedric Benson And The Bengals

The Dayton Daily News' Carlos Holmes wrote on June 21 that Cedric Benson's representatives approached the Bengals front office about a contract extension, in which Holmes described as "appearing to be on the horizon." Bengals play-by-play voice, Brad Johansen, tweeted later that day that the Bengals offered Benson a three-year extension that would give him roughly between $16-$20 million over the course of the four-year contract (including 2010 and then the three-year extension). Unfortunately, no confirmation reports surfaced about the contract extension -- not the years, the money or if it even happened. And it could be a blessing in disguise with other players having expiring contracts this year and Benson's relatively lack of production only confirming the belief that of all the positions in football, running backs are the easiest to replace (read below).

A week later, a report surfaced that Benson was arrested and charged with assault for a memorial day weekend incident. We questioned the incident and Marvin Lewis simply said that Benson was sucker punched. Benson would meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, having a productive meeting on the incident in which Benson claimed was simply self-defense. The NFL agreed and elected not to pursue any further disciplinary action against the running back.

According to Geoff Hobson, the Bengals did resume contract negotiations "earlier in the season but he says there has been nothing since and he’s looking at free agency, although the Bengals are expected to try and keep him." The Bengals running back is due to be an unrestricted free agent after this season. Benson has been vocal this season about his frustration with the offense about not having an identity. Benson would go on to say a few weeks later that the coaches simply aren't listening to the players. Sentiments that have been heard elsewhere this season.

The issue of signing running backs to thick contracts is one for debate. While a great running back can make a significance to an offense, they also tend to hit a severe decline in productivity as they age, mostly because no position takes on the mileage and pounding that running backs do. And it's not a gradual decline; one day they're great, the next day they're seemingly done.

Some of the most recent, and notorious, examples include:

Shaun Alexander signed an eight-year deal worth $62 million at 28 years old. Alexander would only play 23 more games with the Seahawks, averaging 70 yards/game and only 11 combined touchdowns before being released after the 2007 season. He retired a year after playing four games with the Washington Redskins in 2008. On August 21, 2007, the Kansas City Chiefs signed running back Larry Johnson to a six-year deal worth $45 million when the running back was only 27 years old. Johnson would only play in 27 games the following three seasons with the Chiefs, averaging 53.9 yards/game and only eight rushing touchdowns. He was suspended by the Chiefs for two weeks before he was finally waived and the Bengals picked him up midway through the 2009 season.

However, not all cases represent total disaster. The Rams' Steven Jackson signed a six-year deal worth a maximum of $49.3 million well after turning 25 years old in 2008. Jackson has averaged nearly 88 yards/game and scored a combined 14 rushing touchdowns since signing his new deal. He's on pace to have another productive season this year.

If the Bengals allow Benson to hit free agency, the team will likely need to address the need for a feature back. Some will claim that Bernard Scott is a good choice, but the biggest question mark with Scott is his durability. When he was promoted as the team's feature back against the Oakland Raiders and the Cleveland Browns (due to a Benson injury) he rushed for 206 yards and averaged 5.3 yards/rush. However, Scott was forced to miss four games after hurting his foot against the Browns. Scott came into the 2010 season wanting to prove that he's durable enough to play in this league -- that was after Scott hurt his ankle during minicamp and was forced to sit out until the season began.

All of that being said, aside from durability issues, we have no idea how Scott would react to a lengthy role as the team's feature back. Conventional wisdom suggests that if the Bengals aren't going to sign Benson to a long-term deal, they need to get Scott some work. The pace in which he's going this year, Scott will record less than 40 carries, which is roughly half of what he did in 2009.

Should the Bengals sign Cedric Benson, who will turn 28 in late December, to a long-term extension?