O'Donnell in "listening mode'

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Wednesday, July 1, 1998

BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Neil O'Donnell ... NFL profile

Quarterback Neil O'Donnell had a productive 10-minute meeting with Bengals coach Bruce Coslet on Monday, but he's not ready to choose a team as recovers from his release by the Jets.

"He's still in some shock. Neil just wants to regroup," agent Leigh Steinberg Tuesday said. "He's just in a listening mode."

By process of elimination, NFL observers from ESPN to national columnists have tabbed the Bengals as the leading contender to land O'Donnell, who took the Pittsburgh Steelers to two straight AFC title games before going to New York.

San Diego would like to have him while No. 1 pick Ryan Leaf learns, but the Chargers don't have the $5 million available the Bengals have.

Seattle, New Orleans and Carolina are telling insiders they aren't interested, and Chicago would be interested only if the Bears can't finish restructuring Rick Mirer's contract. But the Bears don't even have the $3.5 million they need to sign rookies.

The Bengals are one of the few teams who right now can pay O'Donnell $2.5 million, their offer to Vinny Testaverde before Testaverde went to the Jets.

Yet despite a good meeting with O'Donnell, Coslet downplayed the Bengals' bid.

"Who knows? A team can cut a high-paid player and go after him," Coslet said. "I told him about our team, talked about (offensive coordinator) Kenny (Anderson) and how we do things. I don't think he would have spent the time if he wasn't interested. It's in the hands of our negotiators."

Steinberg, who had yet to speak to O'Donnell since the Coslet meeting, said the Bengals are a team he's considering. He wouldn't say if O'Donnell would have trouble coming to camp as No. 2 to Jeff Blake.

"Cincinnati has a firepower offense," Steinberg said. "Obviously the wide receivers are exciting and the running backs are attractive. But we're still in the early consideration phase."

Johnson says he'll attend camp
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