Saturday, January 16, 1999Status of Pickens, Ambrose still uncertain
Bengals mulling franchise tags
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati EnquirerDENVER — The Bengals won't make any more long-term offers to wide receiver Carl Pickens and cornerback Ashley Ambrose before they become free agents Feb.12. But General Manager Mike Brown said Friday the club won't decide whether it will use the franchise designation on either player until closer to the Feb.11 deadline.
That word came on a day when Pickens' name surfaced in speculation as preparations began for Sunday's AFC championship game here between the Broncos and New York Jets.
The Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys are reportedly interested in adding Pickens to receiving corps that need a big-time playmaker to get them over the hump in the playoffs. The Bengals could give Pickens the franchise tag and then trade him, but Miami coach Jimmy Johnson apparently only wants to give up free-agent money and not a player or a draft pick to get a receiver. If Pickens is franchised, Johnson could set his sights on someone like Arizona's Rob Moore.
Pickens, off another 1,000-yard season, is a familiar figure in Dallas. In visits to friends, he has been seen in the society sections of the city's newspapers, and the Cowboys need someone to take the heat off their other wideout, Michael Irvin.
But Pickens is the same type of receiver as Irvin instead of complementary. Plus, Dallas apparently doesn't want to give up draft picks, and the Bengals wouldn't want to give up Pickens for nothing. He has threatened the Bengals with sitting out the 1999 season if he's franchised.
A franchise tag means the Bengals have a right to match any offer. If the Bengals don't match, then a team must give up a first- and third-round draft pick, an unlikely event given Pickens turns 29 in March.
Brown said another option is not franchising either Pickens or Ambrose, which would free up $3-4 mil lion more under the salary cap. With one of them franchised, the club only has about $2.5-to-3 to spend, and that's not enough to re-sign key free agents in strong safety Sam Shade, defensive end Clyde Simmons, and center Darrick Brilz.
But it's more likely the club would franchise one or the other. They could take the tag off if they found a replacement in free agency or the draft.
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