Chad Johnson and Bengals Agree to Chat About Contract ... After the Season

NFL.com's Adam Schefter is reporting that the Cincinnati Bengals and disgruntled wide receiver Chad Johnson have agreed to review his contract after the season.

It is a gentleman's agreement that prevented any holdout and propelled Johnson into training camp on Sunday, the same day his agent Drew Rosenhaus was spotted in Cincinnati with Bengals officials. Rosenhaus was also seen in Cincinnati during the Bengals' last minicamp.

Rosenhaus, when contacted, declined comment, something Johnson rarely did during an off-season in which he consistently voiced his displeasure with the organization. But in recent weeks, Johnson's tone has changed, and it did so in part because Cincinnati's attitude with him has softened.

The Bengals will get a Chad Johnson that will bite his tongue instead of criticizing the franchise to anyone with a microphone. Chad gets that much needed assurance that the team will look at hooking up his deal.

Of course this really is just a cease fire for the season. It could get really ugly for the team down the road.

All the Bengals agreed to was reviewing the fairness of Chad's contract. They could offer him an "insulting" contract offer which would send him back into chaos mode. After this year, Chad has two more years and $12 million left on his deal (which is a step below the highest paid WRs).

Oh ... there will be another Bengals' receiver that will have to be "reviewed" this offseason. T.J. Houshmandzadeh is in his contract year, so he is looking to break the bank this winter. Either the Bengals (or someone else) signs Housh to a big time deal or Cincy uses the franchise tag on him.

And that whole deal could mean the team will play the two against each other. Cincy could decide that T.J. is the better player and reward him with a better contract than Chad's. Of course, Chad believes he is the better receiver and doesn't want that to go down ...