00:00What was this process like for you this time around?
00:02Good to see you, bro.
00:03Appreciate all your belief all year, all the really great things you said about me, man.
00:07It really means a lot to me, bro.
00:08So really good to see you again.
00:11Also really grateful for my head coach here.
00:14A big reason why I wanted to come back to Cincinnati is because of Zach Taylor.
00:18And I'm probably going to say a lot today that has nothing to do with the questions that you asked,
00:21but I just feel like I'm full of gratitude coming back and being with Scott Peters.
00:25Just got to give Orlando Brown a hug.
00:27I was on the phone last night with Mims.
00:30I've talked to Ted.
00:31I've talked to Joe.
00:32Just so many people, including the fan base, including all of you guys, the city, the restaurant, Jeff Ruby's.
00:41I mean, I could go on and on about every reason why I wanted to come back
00:45and how you guys have welcomed me and my wife with open arms.
00:47But we've known about this deal for like the last 48 hours,
00:51and it's been one of like the hardest secrets to keep ever.
00:53So my little Adam Schefter back there got to break the news this morning,
00:57which I thought was pretty exciting.
00:58As you get later in your career, I feel like you try to have some fun with this
01:01because you never know when it's going to be the last year.
01:03So, yeah, I'm just super overwhelmed, man, with gratitude and thankfulness to come back here,
01:10especially with the ups and downs of last season.
01:13And I think I just answered everything but your question.
01:15What did you ask me?
01:16No, it's all right.
01:16It happens all the time.
01:18What was this process like this time around?
01:20I know you wanted to get this done early.
01:22How much was that a factor in all this?
01:24I think it was a huge factor.
01:25Truth be told, and I think I can say this because it's after the season,
01:30I told everyone this is where I wanted to be.
01:32So when it came to this process, of course, it did take a little bit of time.
01:36The Bengals and myself, I think, were proactive in getting this deal done
01:39ever since the season ended.
01:41But it got to a point for me where I started putting pressure on the agent.
01:44I got one of the best agents in the world in Drew Rosenhaus.
01:46But I truly did mean what I said.
01:48I didn't really care to hit free agency and see if someone wanted to sign me
01:52to a two- or three-year deal or maybe pay me more cash per year.
01:55I wanted to be a Cincinnati Bengal.
01:57And it got to a point where we were so close in terms that it was time
02:00to get a deal done.
02:01So the Bengals did a lot of compromising, and I did a lot of compromising,
02:05and we came to a middle point, to a middle ground to sign the deal.
02:09And I was so thankful for that.
02:11I got to give Duke Tobin a hug today, Mike Brown, Katie.
02:15I mean, on and on, Steven.
02:16So many people upstairs that I'm thankful for.
02:18But this process was just so much different because I've never felt this way
02:22about an organization.
02:23I've never truly just wanted to be back and not even test my market.
02:27And I'm at the point in my career where this is where I'm going to be my best
02:30with Scott Peters and Joe Burrow and Ted Karras and Amarius Mims.
02:34And I didn't really care about the logistics side of it.
02:37This is where I wanted to be.
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