Wednesday, February 16, 2000Deion offers 'plan' to play for Bengals
BY CHRIS HAFT AND GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati EnquirerIf it was a gag, it was a good one. The Dallas Cowboys won't cut Deion Sanders for at least three more months, but that didn't stop the smiling Pro Bowl cornerback from saying Tuesday at Reds spring training that he would consider playing for that other Cincinnati team: the Bengals.
“But to consider the Bengals, you have to understand that I want to win,” Sanders said. “Therefore, I want to come with a package of players if I'm going to play there. My attorney (Eugene Parker) represents quite a few players that are free agents this year that would be a wonderful package.
“I told him, I want him to be the first attorney to put together a team package,” Sanders said. “We've got (defensive) linemen, we've got linebackers (like) Hardy Nickerson — what ever you want, we've got it. We can come and revamp your whole defense. For a small fee.”
The fee is most likely the problem. The Bengals are looking to drop about $5 million to $7 million on three or four free agents to solve as many problems as possible at defensive line, cornerback, safety and backup quarterback.
Sanders probably would want at least that entire sum. Plus, the Bengals hope to have a starting cornerback long before Sanders is free June 1. Baltimore's DeRon Jenkins is scheduled to visit Thursday, with Minnesota's Jimmy Hitchcock and New England's Steve Israel coming in next week.
The Bengals signing Sanders would be almost as big as the Reds trading for Ken Griffey Jr., but it's a long shot. There are whispers about Sanders' age — he'll be 33 when the NFL season starts — and his toe injury. But the Bengals can't comment publicly, because Sanders is still Dallas' property.
If the Cowboys cut him now, it costs them $12.7 million against the salary cap. When they wait until June 1, the cap hit is just $3.7 million.
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