Andrew Whitworth: Leaving Cincinnati was 'bittersweet'

Andrew Whitworth: Leaving Cincinnati was 'bittersweet'

Katherine Terrell
ESPN Staff Writer

Longtime Cincinnati Bengals tackle Andrew Whitworth shocked quite a few people when he agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Rams on Day 1 of free agency, ending a tenure in Cincinnati that had lasted more than a decade.

But even though the two sides have cut ties, there are no hard feelings, he said.

"Anybody that knows me knows I love Cincinnati, I’m as loyal to them as anyone, it’s still bittersweet of course, but I love challenges," Whitworth said. "I feel like what’s made me the player I am is always being willing to take the challenge. ... I feel like my whole career [has been] a challenge.

"In my mind, taking on a challenge, moving to LA and trying to transform a team into a winner, that’s right up my alley. I love it and I’m excited about it. I’m just hoping I can stay healthy and play a couple more years and have a chance to get these guys in the right direction, whether I get to be part of their end success or not, just the chance to turn this thing around."

Whitworth, 35, knew entering the 2016 season that his time in Cincinnati might be coming to an end. The Bengals were reluctant to give him a new long-term contract in 2015, settling on a one-year extension that would keep him on the team through the 2016 season.

Around the same time, they drafted two tackles in the first two rounds of the 2015 draft. Whitworth had never hit free agency and figured he owed it to himself to listen to any offer. What surprised him was just how much interest he received at his age.

"I was floored and humbled by how many offers we got," he said. "You don’t really know sometimes how much you’re appreciated and looked at across the league until you start hearing that many teams call and make offers."

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