The Cincinnati Bengals had some serious competition for Orlando Brown before inking him to a massive, out-of-character deal.
And they did it to shove aside other contenders for Brown.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowlerthe Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets were in on Brown, only for the Bengals to “put a deal over the top with strong guarantees over the long term.”
That’s a stunning comment for Bengals fans, who now see a front office that just outbid two other teams for a 26-year-old left tackle by giving out more guaranteed cash to him than they did all three offensive line signings last year — while front -loading the deal to avoid hurting things like Joe Burrow’s extension.
And yes, Brown will take over at left tackle.
It’s a dramatic change for the Bengals and it didn’t just hurt the Steelers and Jets in the AFC — they also grabbed him from the Chiefs, their biggest threat in the conference.
If there was any doubt the Bengals have changed, Wednesday night wiped it out.
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Story originally appeared on Bengals Wire