Earlier today, we reported on John Clayton's Tweet that the Bengals, in the wake of re-signing Brandon Johnson, are in the process of trying to re-sign Jonathan Fanene. That process, though, may be slowed by Fanene's expectation to get a much larger salary than the Bengals feel that he deserves.
According to former Bengals offensive lineman and current All-Pro Blogger, John Thornton, Fanene's asking price is way too high, even though teammates and coaches alike have been talking about him while at training camp at Georgetown University.
I heard Jon Fanene's name come up quite a bit. Players were talking about him, and few coaches too. He's still well liked and wanted on the team. But I hear his asking price is way too high. He doesn't have the leverage to be asking for big bucks right now. Too many vets are on the market and good players are taking on year deals at a small price. I like Fanene's game a lot, but he has to get in camp and stay healthy for a full season before hitting the open market.
In his six-year career with the Bengals, Fanene has made 79 tackles (49 solo), sacked the opposing quarterback seven times, knocked down three passes and even made one interception, which he ran back for a touchdown.
If Fanene does want to come back to the Bengals, he may have to lower his expectations of a big contract. As Thornton points out, there are other free agent defensive linemen still available that could come at a much lower price. According to NFL reporter Adam Caplan, before Derek Landri signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Bengals showed some interest in the former Panthers defensive lineman.
Derek Landri visited the Broncos. The Bengals also showed interest in him.
Cedric Benson re-signed with the team right after there was a report that the Bengals were going to host Ahmad Bradshaw for a team visit. One could wonder if the interest in Landri was genuine or if it was to get Fanene in a Bengals uniform as soon as possible.
It will be interesting to see if the Bengals can get Fanene signed and into camp soon or if they will start to look elsewhere for depth on their defensive line.