The Bengals are mourning the passing of John Sawyer, who died at the age of 90, writes Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. Sawyer, a former team president and part owner of the Bengals, was considered one of the franchise’s pioneers, as owner Mike Brown said today.
“The team wouldn’t have come into existence were it not for his efforts,” Brown said of Sawyer. “He was our original president and our primary owner for many years. … We’ve not only lost a business partner. We’ve lost a very dear friend.”
As the Bengals mourn the passing of Sawyer, let’s check in on a few items out of Cincinnati….
- As contract rumors heat up for wide receivers like Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas, Bengals wideout A.J. Green isn’t expecting to sign an extension this offseason, writes Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. “I don’t get into all the ‘I need a contract’ stuff,'” Green said. “I’m not here for money. I’m not broke. So I’m fine. I can wait until the end of the year to get a contract, but I know that time is coming.” As Harvey notes, even if Green and the Bengals don’t reach a long-term contract agreement after the season, the team could use its franchise tag on the star receiver, who is playing the 2015 season on his fifth-year option.
- Green added that while he’s keeping an eye on Bryant and Thomas, their situations won’t necessarily have a significant impact on his own: “It doesn’t say anything about me. They’re three different teams. Three different people. You don’t know what their situation is. All I can do is control what I can do, and that’s play football. Everything after that takes care of itself.”
- In a separate piece for ESPN.com, Harvey makes a case for why the Bengals could snap their postseason losing streak this season.
- In yesterday’s Community Tailgate discussion, we asked whether the Bengals or one of their division rivals would win the AFC North in 2015.