NFL insider says Andrew Whitworth was open to the Cincinnati Bengals returning, the team wasn’t interested

CINCINNATI — Would Andrew Whitworth actually return to the NFL?

NFL Network’s Peter Schrager says the former All-Pro left tackle was willing to return to Cincinnati to help the Bengals in the playoffs, but the team wasn’t interested.

“Whitworth is retired and I got very close to Whitworth and I asked him straight out, ‘Would you come back?’ And he says, ‘Well, the door is open.’ And Bengal’s sources were like, ‘We’re good. We’re rolling with the guys we’ve got,'” Schrager said on the Bill Simmons Podcast. “That would have been the Eric Weddle story with this guy just coming on for the playoffs. The whole thing and he’s in shape to play and they didn’t show much interest in signing him.”

Whitworth, 41, spent the first 11 years of his career in Cincinnati. He signed with the Rams in 2017 and played five seasons in Los Angeles. He helped the Rams get past the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI before retiring.

Despite being out of the game for almost a year, there were many people who thought he could help a battered Bengals offensive line. Right tackle La’el Collins (ACL) is out for the season. Left tackle Jonah Williams (knee) and right guard Alex Cappa (ankle) will both miss Sunday’s game in Buffalo and could miss more time even if the Bengals beat the Bills.

Most people dismissed the idea of Whitworth returning to the league, especially after winning the Super Bowl last season, but Schrager made it clear he was at least open to a potential return.

Listen to Simmons’ entire conversation with Schrager below.

Cincinnati and Buffalo meet this Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET on CBS in the divisional round. The game is available via fuboTV – start your free trial here.

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