According to multiple media sources in both Cincinnati and Boston the New England Patriots have acquired WR Chad Ochocinco after the Cincinnati Bengals granted Bill Belichick permission to discuss a contract with his agent Drew Rosenhaus.
Sources say the team signed Ochocinco to a discounted 3-year version of his current contract, which was set to expire after this season. Ochocinco was scheduled to make $6.3 million in 2011; the Patriots needed him to restructure his deal in order to fit under their salary cap. In return the Bengals get two late round draft picks from the Patriots one in 2012 and one in 2013.
The Patriots were one of three teams granted permission to talk to him, the others being the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers.
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Ochocinco, a 10-year veteran, has seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons including a league high 1,369 in 2006. He has played in 6 Pro Bowls. Since entering the league in 2001 he is ranked 3rd with 10,783 receiving yards and 7th with 751 catches.
Ochocinco is also somewhat of a media star having his own reality show on Versus and having competed on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”.
He is known for wearing the #85, hence the last name of Ochocinco which he changed from Johnson, but currently TE Aaron Hernandez has that number and I imagine there will be some negotiating going on for it very shortly.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
