00:00Well, it's a little weird because I represented myself on this deal, so I'm very thankful to be able to
00:07play for this city, play for this organization, suit up with my teammates, for my teammates.
00:13It's no workplace I'd rather be, and so to have an opportunity to be able to be here for another
00:18two seasons outside of this year, it's very special.
00:22It means a lot to me and my family.
00:23How important was it for you going into this offseason to get an extension done so you knew you were
00:28going to be here after playing multiple places?
00:32Yeah, it was important to me because I just want to be able to focus on ball, and having that
00:38security there just in terms of the number of years that I'm here, it allows me to just focus on
00:44that.
00:45My main reason for wanting to get this deal done, too, is I just want to win, and I think
00:50it's one less thing on my plate, one less thing on their plate.
00:53How much haggly was there in negotiations, and how good of a negotiator were you, do you think?
00:58I feel like I was pretty good.
01:00Overall, man, it went very smooth, in my opinion.
01:05I feel like just the way that our front office handled things and ownership made it a lot easier on
01:10me representing myself.
01:12So, yeah, I feel really good about the whole process.
01:16What approach did you call Duke?
01:19Yeah, that's funny.
01:21It's unique, but, yeah, a lot of my conversations were with Steve, and so, you know, Steve handled, you know,
01:29pretty much, you know, I guess the point man through all of this,
01:32and allowing everything to just fall in place, and he was really the main person that I handled it, and
01:40I'm pretty sure that he was, you know, obviously talking to Duke and ownership in between.
01:43Why was repping yourself, was that an important thing, and how did that decision to do that in general?
01:50Yeah, you know, to be honest, man, I think just kind of where we are in today's age of the
01:55NFL, and also I think who I play for, you know,
02:00I think representing myself made a lot of sense in this situation, you know, is this something that I would
02:06do anywhere else?
02:07I don't know, you know, to be honest with you, but, you know, I think just with my relationship that
02:12I have with our front office and ownership, it made a lot of sense.
02:16When did the whole process start as far as when you had started conversations about the extension?
02:21Yeah, gosh, I think the first conversation was sometime in February, so I believe early February, I think, was the
02:32first conversation on it.
02:34Did you view free agency as a deadline to get it done, or did you think once free agency started
02:38it may not get done?
02:39No, I just, I really wasn't necessarily too concerned with that, you know, I just wanted to present it to
02:45them,
02:45and I didn't know if that was going to get done in August or, you know, July, or, you know,
02:51we just so happened to find a number that we settled on pretty early.
02:54You mentioned winning and it being such a factor for you.
02:58How confident are you that you guys can figure this out, turn it around, and win this year?
03:02Yeah, I'm very confident, man.
03:04You know, we've got a lot of special players and a lot of special men in our locker room,
03:07and so a lot of responsibility falls on us to make sure that we take those next steps as a
03:13team.
03:14You know, I think for what it's worth, there are no coaches, there are no front office execs,
03:20no owners that step on the field on Sunday, and so at the end of the day,
03:25a lot of responsibility falls on us as players to be able to get the most out of the locker
03:28room, you know,
03:29and it starts with me as a leader, one of the leaders here.
03:31You know, we got one of the hardest pieces of the puzzle with Joe Burrow,
03:35and so I think it's important for everybody else around him, including myself, to, you know, step up, step up
03:40to the plate.
03:41What was his reaction to your extension?
03:42Yeah, he's pretty happy, so he's pretty happy.
03:46Consistency on the offensive line, I mean, this seems like a huge thing for this organization, Orlando,
03:50and you're a big part of that.
03:51How important is that?
03:52Very important.
03:53You know, just being able to continue to grow, you know, amongst each other,
03:58continuing to grow our continuity between each other.
04:02You know, our five that we rode out there, man, including Dalton at right guard, that group was special,
04:08and, you know, I think of some of the other men in there with Jalen Rivers, Cody, you know, Andrew
04:14Coker, Javon,
04:17I mean, even some of the guys we lost like C.V. and Kirk.
04:20You know, I think it's just so important and so special that what we started there and, you know,
04:27just being able to come back and work with them means a lot.
04:30What did you think of Trey going to the Ravens?
04:33I think he's great.
04:34Yeah, I think he's great.
04:35You know, I'm happy for him.
04:37He earned that contract.
04:39You know, it's a great situation for him, and we get to see him twice a year.
04:42You get to see him twice a year?
04:44I do, yeah.
04:44What do you anticipate that will be like?
04:46Yeah, it'll be a lot of fun.
04:48So we've had a lot of battles over the years and some really big games when I was in Kansas
04:52City,
04:52so it'll be a lot of fun.
04:55I mean, you guys kind of notably fought each other the first time you practiced against each other.
05:00Yeah.
05:00Do you anticipate it to be like a kind of a brawl out there against Trey?
05:04Yeah, I mean, I think it's just kind of just our approach to the game of football, man.
05:08It's who he is.
05:10I think about the first time I played him when I was in Kansas City in the AFC Championship.
05:14To be honest, we fought there too.
05:17But, you know, I think, you know, that's just the way our approach is,
05:21and I'm sure the film will reflect that when we sit up.
05:25Obviously, you're a fan of the NFL, you follow it really closely.
05:28What was your reaction to the Mac situation and Trey within 12 hours or whatever it was?
05:33Well, yeah, no, I mean, it's interesting, man.
05:35You know, to represent myself, you know, I think you find out a little bit more about the business side
05:39of things
05:40than you expect to.
05:42And, you know, that's a unique situation.
05:45I don't have all the details on everything, but, you know, I imagine it's a little bit awkward for the
05:51Ravens and Max Crosby.
05:55For guys who have played against each other, who's got the edge, the offense, and the defense?
06:01You know, that's hard to say, but I will tell you I'm excited to kick some ass.
06:07So I don't really care who I'm lining up against, but I don't know who the edge goes to,
06:12but I'm excited for the matchup.
06:14How big was it for you last year to play in all 100 games after playing really healthy throughout your
06:20career
06:20and then you did here and you had a couple injuries your first couple of years?
06:23Yeah, no, that was really important to me, man.
06:26You know, any time that I can be available, that's something I pride myself on.
06:29And, you know, any time that, you know, I'm able to go out there and suit up on a Sunday,
06:34I want to go play.
06:36When you look at your career, starting in Baltimore to Kansas City to here,
06:40do you feel like your time in Cincinnati has brought out the best in you in terms of your performance
06:46on the field?
06:47Yeah.
06:47Yeah, I feel as though this is probably the most uncomfortable and comfortable situation for me in a way.
06:56You know, what I'm asked to do game to game is unique in terms of the drawback press and one
07:03-on-one pass protection.
07:04It is the most vulnerable state for any offensive lineman in football, let alone a left tackle.
07:09And you add in blocking for a half-a-billion-dollar quarterback, you know,
07:14and playing for this organization with great players like Andrew Whitworth and Anthony Munoz and Willie Anderson,
07:19it comes with a lot of pressure, but, you know, for me, I love being a Bengal.
07:25I love playing here in this city.
07:27You know, I feel like my best football is ahead of me, you know,
07:30which is one of the reasons we were able to get two years done.
07:34You know, I hope that answers your question.
07:37How well did you get to know Brian Cook as a rookie, and what's he going to bring to this
07:41locker room?
07:41Yeah.
07:42No, he's going to bring a ton of great energy.
07:44He's a fierce competitor.
07:45He loves the game.
07:47You know, he's got a lot of personality.
07:50You just got to get it out of him a little bit.
07:52It might take a little time.
07:53But I remember when he first got to Kansas City, he was immediately in the mix, you know,
08:00in terms of just being a guy in the locker room that Vets respected.
08:04He worked his tail off.
08:06He's about his business.
08:08How much have you faced Mafe?
08:11Yeah, 2023.
08:13I think we played him here.
08:16I didn't have many snaps against him, but I will tell you, studying the film that year, really special.
08:21Like, really special.
08:22Like, just in terms of his burst, he has a great inside move.
08:27He does a great job with his hands, transitioning in his rushes.
08:33You know, I haven't necessarily watched a ton of film on him last year,
08:36but what I did see, I mean, you know, that potential is still there, and even more now.
08:43Did the process of representing yourself make you, like, is that a potential thing you'd be interested in doing
08:49when you're done playing football, is representing football players, or you're not there?
08:55Yeah, no, I'm not.
08:56I'm not, to be honest.
08:57Like, outside of doing this, I really haven't put too much thought into post-football.
09:02Football, you know, maybe call me delusional, but I look forward to doing this until I'm 40.
09:07So, but I haven't put too much thought into it, and, you know, I can't say never, but, you know,
09:15not necessarily.
09:16Do you have to get certified to do that, to represent yourself?
09:18You don't.
09:19No, you don't.
09:20Yeah, it's as easy as walking up there to Mike Brown and saying, hey, can we get this done?
09:44Yes, it is.
09:46You
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