We suspected last year that the biggest reason Mike Brown and the Bengals wouldn't trade Chad Johnson was the $8-plus million cap hit. It was a justified point. However, we thought the advantages of trading Johnson outweighed the disadvantages of absorbing the salary-cap hit.
Now that Drew Rosenhaus manipulated the market by proclaiming three of his wide receivers, Anquan Boldin, Plaxico Burress and Chad Johnson are available via trade, that number had to be adjusted in case the unbelieveable became the believeable.
In his "Inside the AFC North", Walker points out that the Bengals salary-cap hit would be $4.865 million if the Bengals worked out a trade, which Walker rightly concludes that "they should take the hit, get the draft pick(s), and start over by playing younger receivers." Best Bengals-related analysis he's had yet at ESPN.
Again, Johnson's worth, and the picks that we could get in return, isn't likely to be what he was offered by the Redskins. However, I'm big on the theory that the Bengals need to start over in many aspects -- if not calling this season a "rebuilding year". That's a very unpopular term. However, we're not certain that Lewis' recent performance will allow for a rebuilding year without the ejection button finally being pressed on the hot seat.