The Cincinnati Bengals’ offseason has been full of drama, and it seems like that is going to carry into the regular season. While they managed to resolve their contract disputes with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Shemar Stewart, Trey Hendrickson is still without a deal and could ultimately get traded before the start of the campaign. Now, one of their former players, quarterback Boomer Esiason, has a bone to pick with the team.
Esiason spent 10 years of his playing career with the Bengals, and he is widely regarded as a franchise icon thanks to the success he enjoyed under center for them. As a result, he’s set to be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor, but when he received his invitation, there was one key detail that seemed to irk Esiason.
Boomer Esiason Not Happy with Bengals’ Ring of Honor Invitation
The Bengals selected Esiason in the second round of the 1984 NFL Draft, and by 1985, he had taken over as the team’s starting quarterback. Soon enough, Esiason had become one of the top passers in the league, earning a Pro Bowl selection in 1986. In 1988, Esiason took his game to another level, throwing for 3,572 yards and 28 touchdowns, which earned him an MVP Award and his second Pro Bowl selection.
Esiason would find his way to the Pro Bowl again in 1989, but his play dipped over his final two seasons with the team, leading him to get traded to the New York Jets ahead of the 1993 season. Esiason turned back the clock and put together one last Pro Bowl campaign in 1993, but it didn’t last long, as he struggled through two more seasons with the Jets before closing his career out with one year on the Arizona Cardinals and one more campaign with the Bengals.
His peak may have been short, but Esiason is one of the most popular players in franchise history, leading to his induction into Cincinnati’s Ring of Honor. However, when Esiason received his invitation, which he read on his podcast “Boomer & Gio,” he learned he was going to have to pay for his own hotel room if he were to attend the ceremony. After reading the invite out loud, he openly admitted he doesn’t know if he will show up for the event.
“You think I’m an elitist if I say no to that?” Esiason remarked after reading the invitation.
Bengals Have More Drama on Their Hands Thanks to Boomer Esiason
GettyBoomer Esiason at ‘The NFL Today’ Exhibit, New York City, January 2024
The past couple of years have been nonstop drama for the Bengals. Contract issues have largely dominated the headlines surrounding the team, and that has continued throughout training camp with Hendrickson, who is still looking for a massive contract extension. Now, Esiason is airing out his grievances with the team, which won’t exactly make things any better.
Whether or not the team will change the details of their invitation to Esiason after getting called out remains to be seen. With the start of the regular season so close, though, the Bengals have bigger fish to fry. Not only do they have to figure out what to do with Hendrickson, but they also have a slew of roster cuts that they are going to have to make over the coming days, with their 53-man roster needing to be set by 4 p.m. ET on Aug. 26.
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