The Bengals have announced that kicker Mike Nugent signed his franchise tender on Wednesday.
That guarantees Nugent a salary of $2.654 million for the 2012 season, but there’s interest in reaching agreement on a long-term deal with the team. Nugent’s agent Ken Harris explained his client’s thinking in an email to Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“Over the weekend, Mike and I discussed the many commitments he has this offseason, the biggest being his wedding in a few weeks. In his specific circumstances this busy offseason, his focus on those commitments will be better served by knocking out the tender signing beforehand while I discuss a long-term deal with the team. Mike is doing so today before heading back out of town again tomorrow. I seriously doubt he would be signing a tender at this point if this were any other offseason.”
Nugent hit on 33 of 38 field goal tries for the Bengals last season and set the franchise record for points with 132. It was his second year with the team after bouncing from the Jets to the Buccaneers to the Cardinals earlier in his career. Nugent entered the league as a second-round pick of the Jets in 2005.