2021 Free Agency

[Jmble]

CINCINNATI — At 4:01 p.m. on Tuesday, minutes after it became official Carl Lawson would not receive the franchise tag, the moment struck him. It wasn’t premeditated. It wasn’t some grand social media announcement or even indicating any particular feelings about his next team or possible former employer, the Bengals.

He just felt the moment was right.

“I’m going to post a pic about being swole,” Lawson said. “It’s a really cool picture that just states, ‘Hey, I’m going into free agency.’ That’s it. I read the comments, like, ‘He’s leaving the Bengals.’ I’m like no, I have such a great connection here. I’m just a free agent. It was just a cool picture. I looked pumped in the gym.”

Lawson has looked great in the gym, on tape and lived on the lips and minds of media, player personnel, the Bengals front office and just about anybody close to the NFL free-agency game. The Bengals opted not to use the franchise tag on Lawson and he will hit the open market on Monday.

He spoke in a rollicking 35-minute interview with The Athletic on Thursday about his experience with free agency to this point, his view of the Bengals as “frontrunners” in being the first to negotiate with, being discussed with the franchise tag and what next week could look like.

Things are wild this time of year for a player of Lawson’s status. So much as a tweet like his guns-for-hire post on Tuesday can set off a firestorm of fan feelings. Somewhere on Twitter, a follower named Jeremy hopped in Lawson’s replies to the tweet and snapped up his attention.

“I was a little scared,” Lawson said with a wide, joking smile that rarely left his face during the conversation. “Jeremy sees me, it’s on-sight hand. He says, ‘You don’t want to be a Bengal then get the F out!’ Whoa, Jeremy. He has like 10 tweets just bashing me. I’m like, geez, I’m just trying to post a picture. It’s not that serious, Jeremy.”

For many fan bases, it is. Landing Lawson can be the cure to their pass rush woes. Every day can feel like concocting a new algorithm of the math it would take to fix every roster issue this time of year for executives and diehards alike.

For Lawson, he says he talks to his agent every day. They go over the latest. And he was curious why reports — that turned out to be false — surfaced he would receive the franchise tag. He hadn’t heard that from the team. As with nearly every player tagged, he didn’t like the idea, but mostly because it didn’t make sense in his eyes. Not for him, the team or even Joe Burrow.

“You want a long-term commitment,” Lawson said. “So I didn’t think it would make sense from both sides to do that. It’s not about how much money they give you, it’s the direct hit against the cap. A team in our position, been 2-14 and 4-12, you got a lot of things that you want to fix. You got to have cap space to do whatever you want. Take a direct hit on the cap like that it limits what you can do. First and foremost, the first thing we need to do is protect 9. Then you get a long-term negotiated deal done with me. With both sides, I didn’t understand why they would do it, personally.”

Also, Lawson offered an optimistic view of staying with the Bengals. With the obvious caveat, he’s interested in seeing what the market will have to offer one of the top edge rushers available.

“Of course the Bengals are the frontrunner, we just haven’t gotten to any of the negotiations and stuff yet,” Lawson said. Even he can admit he hears things but the whole process is just getting started despite the piles of speculation and chatter that has surrounded his name with the legal tampering period opening Monday. “I just know talking with the Bengals I think they would do right by me. And we’ll get that situation talked about first, but there is a lot of interest out there that’s what I’m hearing. So it will be interesting to see what happens the next couple weeks … Of course, I’m comfortable where I’m at. But it doesn’t make sense to not listen to what people have to say but if there are better options for me and my family then people will understand that. It’s not like they don’t have a great shot at landing me. Why would you tag me if you know you have a good shot at talking with me?”

All the pieces of the pie of what he’s looking for connect to each other. So, to say he’s prioritizing going to a winner or for a specific fit or for the most money doesn’t necessarily make sense. It’s all relative.

“You’d be like, ‘I don’t even like the cold,'” Lawson said. “Well, they are trying to offer you $70 million. All right, I’ll get my coat.”

And if a team is willing to spend that kind of coin, well, whatever scheme they were trotting out before that might not have seemed like the right spot before means little.

“Somebody offers you $8 million and somebody offers you $20 million, you can change the scheme real quick,” Lawson said.

Such is not to say Lawson will be chasing the highest dollar over the next week, as he points out he knew before his spectacular — and, more importantly, fully healthy — 2020 season his skills would demand enough money to provide for his family.

The tape already exists on that one. That’s part of why he says he’s been low-stress about being in the middle of the free agency mix.

“I look at people’s numbers,” Lawson said of paying attention in recent years. “The league is all about putting people in tiers and categories, I only look at it through that. They are paying pretty well just for decent edge rushers. And I think I’m better than that. What’s there to be stressed about?”

Not much, which is on-brand for the 25-year-old from Alpharetta, Ga.

“I don’t want much as a person,” said Lawson, who trains in South Florida in the offseason. “I like to work out, watch anime and eat. That don’t cost a lot of money. The things I really want in life, and I want to be an elite player. There’s no amount of money you can give me. I want to go get that myself.”

All those facts feed into why Lawson says he never put the extra pressure of the contract year that went so well on himself.

“I was going to end up with enough money after the season to provide for my family, provided I stay healthy,” Lawson said. “So it wasn’t a contract year for me. Every year to me is a contract year for me. Every year here they are always trying to find a way to replace you. That’s this league. A lot of guys don’t like that, but I love it. It keeps you on your toes.”

Lawson loves keeping people on their toes. He just wants more folks to know that as he progresses through his career. He flew mostly under the radar the last four years despite a personality that always left an impression on those around him regularly. But he was trying to establish himself. Well, he’s fairly established now after ranking in the top 10 in nearly every pass-rushing stat off the edge last year.

So, posts like his tweet after the franchise tag deadline or any number of vague tweets and more down-to-Earth interviews like this one that weaves in and out of stand-up comedy should be a side of him fans should become accustomed to seeing.

On the field, he’s thrived growing into a bigger role each year and that philosophy might be spilling over to how he carries himself publicly.

All part of what sells him as the complete package wherever he lands next week, Cincinnati or elsewhere.

“I want people to know more about me,” Lawson said. “Hey, this is the film I put out, I’m funny. I want people to understand who I am.”

Of course, he also knows what he doesn’t need next.

“If I post ‘guns for hire,’ it’s like, look, I’m a free agent, I’m working out and I’m constantly trying to get better. I don’t need Jeremy saying, ‘You don’t want to be a Bengal then get out,'” Lawson said. “Look, I’m really scared. He was like, ‘F- Carl Lawson. We don’t need those guns.’ Some of this stuff, geez. It’s on-sight beef if Jeremy sees me.”

[Jmble]

Buffalo has resigned LB Matt Milano to a four year $44 mil contract.

I have removed him from the top post.

[Joe Bananas]

I don't see this team spending big money on Lawson unfortunately. Like usual they'll let the guys play field and mostly want them in a week or two to give them a hometown discount. I forsee Lawson leaving and we'll draft a replacement.

[skycruiser]

Love this interview. We can’t possibly allow the front office to screw this one up

[Jmble]

Patriots are resigning Cam Newton to a one year deal.

Jags are resigning Guard Tyler Shatley.

Shatley was not in the top 100, but the post has been updated for Newton.

[Jmble]

The Bills have agreed to terms on a 3 year deal with starting OT Daryl Williams.

Another offensive lineman down.

He's off the list.

[Exile]

I don't see this team spending big money on Lawson unfortunately. Like usual they'll let the guys play field and mostly want them in a week or two to give them a hometown discount. I forsee Lawson leaving and we'll draft a replacement.

I think it depends on how high the market ultimately is. I could see them paying pretty well to keep Carl around--they've opened up the checkbook before to keep guys they like, he seems like a good locker room guy, and the cupboard is pretty bare behind him. But I could definitely see the team bailing if he's getting huge offers. The good news for us is that with the cap situation around the league, there may not be such big deals as there have been in some past years. I don't know, I think it's slightly better than 50/50 that he's back next year.

[Jmble]

The Chargers have released Guard Trai Turner.

He had a truly terrible 2020, but was okay before that.

I'm putting him on the list even though I hope the Bengals stay away.

[Bengals1]

Blake Jewell (@BlakeJewellNFL)
AJ Bouye will be visiting with the #Bengals, so there could be a possible replacement lined up if William Jackson walks.

[stripesincarolina]

Blake Jewell (@BlakeJewellNFL)
AJ Bouye will be visiting with the #Bengals, so there could be a possible replacement lined up if William Jackson walks.

He's a journeyman bust. Just keep WJ3.

Bouye, 29, became a free agent Feb. 10 when the Broncos cut him.

He ranks No. 45 on PFT’s list of the top free agents.

Bouye joined the Broncos last March in a trade with the Jaguars but played only seven games due to a shoulder injury and a suspension for violating the performance-enhancing drug policy. He has two games left on that suspension that he will serve at the start of the regular season.

Bouye had 23 tackles and six passes defensed in 2020.

He played four seasons with the Texans and three with the Jaguars before spending last season in Denver.