National Football League

Bengals' Hall strays from Whitworth approach regarding contract status

Published May. 12, 2015 2:58 p.m. ET

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Leon Hall is taking a more mellow approach than Andrew Whitworth when it comes to the final year of his contract, but perhaps money has something to do with that. 

Hall, coming off a subpar season at 30 years old, is set to earn $9.6 million in 2015 in the final year of his deal. Hall knows he faces an uncertain future, but that isn't stopping him from preparing as he would any other offseason. He is focused on proving to his coaches that the right decision was made to keep him around this year despite an emerging group of younger corners behind him. 

"Going into every season there's expectations that I put on myself," Hall told ESPN.com. "I didn't reach the level I set for myself, but going into this season it's more motivation. Part of the deal on my side is to essentially prove them (the coaches) right."

Fellow veteran Andrew Whitworth, due $6.2 million next season coming off his best season as a pro, hasn't been as measured in his tone the past few weeks. He essentially dared the Bengals to draft an offensive tackle in the first round knowing he was entering the final year of his deal. The Bengals one-upped him by using their first two picks on offensive tackles, leading Whitworth to air his grievances about his contract situation. 

A dustup on Twitter about owner Mike Brown came next, which Whitworth blamed on a mixup with his wife. Whitworth expressed regret for the entire situation over the weekend, saying he wished he handled the situation better.

Expect Whitworth to let his continued stellar play on the field do the talking for now on. 

h/t: ESPN.com

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