Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton release clears way for Joe Burrow

After nine seasons, the Cincinnati Bengals plan to release Andy Dalton and make rookie Joe Burrow the team’s official starter.

After nine seasons together, Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals are parting ways. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bengals plan to release their veteran quarterback. Dalton was in the final year of a six-year, $96 million extension he signed before the 2014 season. The move saves Cincinnati $17.7 million in cap space and the team accumulates no dead cap.

The decision to release Dalton came roughly a week after the Bengals used the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on Joe Burrow. The LSU product captivated the nation during his senior season, winning the Heisman by a landslide and leading the Tigers to a National Championship over Clemson.

With Dalton officially off of the roster, Burrow becomes the team’s de facto starting quarterback and leader. After four consecutive losing seasons under the Red Rifle, Cincinnati hopes Burrow can turn the franchise around. The team’s most recent success came in 2015 when he Bengals won the AFC North but fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round.

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The move to release Dalton is hardly surprising as the Bengals seem content on putting all of their efforts behind Burrow and second-year head coach Zac Taylor. The franchise wants a brand new beginning, with no potential for a quarterback controversy. Releasing Dalton puts Burrow on the pedestal he deserves and signals a new era in franchise history.

Some wondered if Cincinnati would keep Dalton around for the beginning of the regular season and then trade the former second-round pick. However, that move would cost the Bengals a good chunk of their cap, and teams already knew they could wait for Dalton’s eventual release. Similar to Cam Newton‘s situation, no team wanted to give up draft picks for a quarterback they knew would hit the open market eventually.

While the past couple of years did nothing to endear Dalton to Bengals fans, he led the team to a highly successful five-year stretch after he entered the league in 2011. During those five seasons, the Bengals won the AFC North twice and made the playoffs every year. Unfortunately, the team never got past the Wild Card Round.

Dalton departs Cincinnati as the franchise’s all-time leader in completions and passing touchdowns. His 31,594 passing yards rank second in team history, only trailing Ken Anderson‘s 32,838. Dalton’s 70 wins with the franchise also trail Anderson’s 91. However, the Red Rifle’s 87.5 passer rating ranks first in franchise history among players with at least 400 pass attempts.

With Dalton gone, A.J. Green coming off a year where he didn’t play a snap, and Geno Atkins trying to recover from his worst season since 2014, the Bengals are moving in a new direction. The selections of Burrow, Tee Higgins, and the return of Jonah Williams all point toward a promising next chapter in the franchise’s history.