The agent for Bobbie Williams said Saturday he has yet to finish a deal with the Bengals. Citing reports of a contract, Tony Agnone said he is still talking to the club about a deal that would bring Williams back for a seventh season at right guard.
Part of the holdup is that Williams is on Easter vacation and the sides are apparently waiting for him to get back so he can be updated on the negotiations. It is a deal that has been expected since free agency opened, when head coach Marvin Lewis said he was confident that a deal would get done because of the mutual enthusiasm for the return of one of the club's offensive captains from the last several years.
The Bengals head into their second week of offseason workouts. Williams is expected back in town early next week since he makes his offseason home in Cincinnati. Talks heated up last week when the Baltimore-based Agnone visited with Bengals vice president Troy Blackburn at Paul Brown Stadium, but slowed over the holiday.
Still, it was a deal his teammates figured was coming when they reported last week.
"I told him I'm never going to speak to him again if he doesn't come back," said left tackle Andrew Whitworth with a smile. "He's obviously one of our big guns, a great guy that all the young guys can look to. It's not so much that he's a vocal leader, but that he's always there no matter what."
