Andy Dalton and the Bengals have not agreed to terms on a contract extension for the quarterback yet, but one aspect of the dance between the two this summer seems to be clear: They want to be together.
Dalton, who has one year left on his rookie deal, confirmed that much Monday night while speaking at the third annual Celebrity Waiter Night held by the Andy and Jordan Dalton Foundation in Cincinnati.
Andy Dalton at his foundation fundraiser tonight: "(My wife and I) love it here. We're going to be here for a long time." @FOX19
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) June 2, 2014
If actions truly speak louder than words, the fact Dalton and his wife had already held two such dinners before Monday night is a pretty good indicator about their commitment to the community. After all, the couple from Texas have only been residents of the Queen City since the Bengals took Dalton in the second round of the 2011 draft.
According to the foundation's website, the organization was established that year with "a primary focus on providing seriously ill and physically challenged children throughout greater Cincinnati with daily support and life-changing experiences."
Though the Bengals drafted quarterback A.J. McCarron out of Alabama in the fifth round in the draft in May, offensive coordinator Hue Jackson emphatically stated Dalton remains the team's starting quarterback.
Head coach Marvin Lewis has defended his fourth-year signal caller multiple times since the team was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the Chargers in January, the most recent instance coming just a couple of days ago in an interview with SI.com.
Of course, the business side tends to get in the way of mutual desires in sports these days, so it remains to be seen if the two sides can agree on something that tends to be even more important than feelings in today's NFL: money.
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