Andrew Whitworthdared the Bengals to draft his replacement. Things may get uncomfortable now that Cincinnati appears to have done just that.
The Bengals selected Texas A&M tackle Cedric Ogbuehi with the 21st overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, then doubled down at the position by taking Oregon's Jake Fisher with their second-round pick.
Now comes the predictable reaction to those moves: Whitworth is miffed by the lack of communication and wants an extension with just one year remaining on his deal.
"It's not really top of the line customer service," said Whitworth, per the team site. "Eventually, hopefully, one day that conversation will be had and I'll be here."
Whitworth, 33, is coming off one of his finest seasons, but he'll also be the oldest left tackle in the NFL by Week 1. His short-term job security remains strong with Ogbuehi rehabbing a torn ACL, but the prospect of a long-term deal is suddenly in doubt.
"There's not been a lot of discussion with it. I mean, if there's anything, I wish that there had been," Whitworth said. "But at the end of the day, I'm a big boy and I can handle it and this is my football team, I'm the captain of it and been the leader of it for a long time and don't plan on letting that change.
"It really didn't matter the draft picks or any of that. For me, it's more I would like to still be here. Whether that feeling is reciprocated, I don't know yet. I've asked but I haven't been responded to. I hope it is."
Remind us never to play truth or dare with Mike Brown.
- Sixteen AFC teams. Four Heroes. Three minutes per team. The latest Around The NFL Podcast breaks down the AFC. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.*
