Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth is seeking a new contract, and it seems like the main reason for that is frustration.
Before the draft, Whitworth said he would embrace the challenge of the Bengals drafting his future replacement so he could beat the rookie out for a starting spot. The team did just that, drafting two offensive linemen with its first two picks. The 33-year-old is now irritated that the Bengals have yet to address his contract, which has one season remaining on it.
“It’s not really top of the line customer service,” Whitworth told the Bengals’ official website. “Eventually, hopefully, one day that conversation will be had and I’ll be here.”
While Whitworth will turn 34 next season, he was still one of the best tackles in the league last year. Bengals first-round pick Cedric Ogbuehi is rehabbing from a torn ACL, so he probably won’t be ready for Week 1. Still, Whitworth wants more long-term security with two rookies breathing down his neck.
“At the end of the day, I am the captain and leader and I want to go above and beyond and do more than the average guy in this locker room and have always,” he said. “It’s hard to do that when that feeling is not reciprocated and is just a one way street. We’d like you to prepare two guys to be really good football players, we’d like you to be the leader of football team, but we’d also like to have the best situation possible for us. We’ll talk to you when we want to.”
From the team’s standpoint, you can understand why they would rather see how their rookies pan out before paying an aging veteran. Not extending Whitworth could be risky, but it is probably a risk the Bengals are willing to take.
H/T Around the NFL
