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          Andy Dalton hopes to finish season -- and possibly Bengals career -- the 'right way'

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterDec 27, 2019, 11:00 AM
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          CINCINNATI -- Andy Dalton knows what the Cincinnati Bengals' regular-season finale could represent.

          Even though he's under contract for 2020, the 32-year-old quarterback acknowledged Thursday that Sunday's home game against the Cleveland Browns could be his final game with the franchise he has spent his nine NFL seasons.

          "We'll have to wait and see once the season's over and see what happens," Dalton said. "But I definitely understand the possibility of that."

          Dalton still has one year left on a six-year, $96 million deal he signed in 2014. However, his long-term future in Cincinnati is in doubt after a tumultuous season. Dalton, a second-round pick in the 2011 draft, was benched for three games while the Bengals evaluated rookie quarterback Ryan Finley.

          The move indicated a strong possibility that Cincinnati (1-14) will take a quarterback in the 2020 draft. Now that the Bengals clinched the worst record and the top overall draft pick, that seems to be more of a likelihood with a prospect such as LSU's Joe Burrow in the mix.

          The Bengals would not owe Dalton any money if they cut him. They could also opt to trade him, a scenario Dalton said he asked his agent to explore when he was benched right before the Oct. 29 trade deadline.

          At the time, Dalton said he wanted to be a starting quarterback. On Thursday, he said that hasn't changed.

          "Yes," Dalton said. "Absolutely."

          Dalton has started 132 of a potential 143 games in his career with the Bengals. He said Sunday's game against the Browns (6-9) won't be the make-or-break factor that determines if he will be an NFL starter next season.

          Dalton also said the context surrounding the Week 17 game will not add any extra motivation to win.

          "I try to win every time I'm out there," Dalton said. "Obviously it would feel good to finish this season off with a win and on a good note, so that's the whole focus, to finish this thing off the right way."

          Dalton, the Bengals' career leader in passing touchdowns and pass completions, has struggled this season. Dalton's 37.5 Total QBR is the lowest of his career. Only rookie Kyle Allen of the Carolina Panthers and second-year QB Mason Rudolph of the Pittsburgh Steelers have a lower QBR this season.

          Dalton has struggled, but those around the Bengals have hesitated to put a bulk of the blame on him.

          "We just put ourselves in bad positions," Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd said on Dec. 15, one week before he caught Dalton's 200th career touchdown pass. "Andy's not a bad quarterback."

          Last week, Dalton almost helped the Bengals pick up an improbable victory at Miami. He threw three fourth-quarter touchdowns and had two 2-point conversions during a 23-point comeback that forced overtime. He finished with 396 yards and four TDs in the 38-35 overtime loss.

          "He was as fiery as you've probably ever seen him," Bengals coach Zac Taylor said after the game. "He's frustrated when guys aren't doing their job. I thought he hung in there and really gave us a chance."

          If Dalton leads the Bengals to victory Sunday, he will help Cincinnati avoid the only one-win season in franchise history. Dalton said focusing on a win will overshadow any emotions about what could potentially be his final game at Paul Brown Stadium.

          "The whole thing is playing and trying to lead this team and play well," Dalton said. "After the fact, we'll see what happens. But during the game, I don't expect there to be anything."