Disgusting DMs Push Andrei Iosivas to Pivot to Surprising New Demeanor Going Into Contract Year

It’s not exactly a full heel turn, but Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas said he is done caring what people think about him and will be focusing less on placating and more on playing as he enters his contract year.

“I’m always gonna be a team player and care about the team and how I perform, but I don’t care about anything else,” he said. “You can’t care about everybody all of the time. You just can’t.

“It's not letting outside noise get to me and letting circumstances get to me,” he added. “Whatever circumstance I'm in, I'm gonna do it and play the ball that I know how to play. I know I'm a great player, so I’m not letting people's opinions or things in the building irritate me.”

There are several things that could cause a gregarious player such as Iosivas pivot to such a “who cares” mentality:

Going into a contract year with low expectations of return.
The team drafting a player viewed as your replacement.
Social media vitriol.

They’re all in play when it comes to Iosivas, but it the social media issue that caused him to get visibly emotional before shutting down the line of questioning.

“I had those drops in those games and people were telling me to kill myself,” he said. “I’ve never had that kind of stuff happen to me before. It got in my head a little bit when your DMs are flooded with people telling you to kill yourself.”

“It makes me angry, honestly,” he continued. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

He didn’t really want to talk about his contract situation either.

Iosivas will be a free agent after the season. And the way he sounded, he expects 2026 to be his final year with the Bengals.

“I’m not really going into this year expecting anything,” he said. “I’m just gonna do me and whatever happens, happens. I don’t really hope for anything.

“It’s just how I am now.”

The old Iosivas grin and exuberance returned when he was asked about all the moves the organization has made this offseason.

“I was checking my with my boys and I yelled, ‘Holy s—t! We just signed Dexter Lawrence. I think I blacked out that night.”

The offseason move that was less exciting for Iosivas was the team drafting Georgia wide receiver Colbie Young in the fourth round.

It’s not just that Young could be viewed as Iosivas’ replacement in 2027. He could be coming for some of his snaps and targets this season.

“I feel like I’ve been fighting for that spot for three years, so I don’t really care,” Iosivas said. “I mean, they drafted a dude in the third round, too (Jermaine Burton in 2024), so it’s just how the business goes.

“I don't like feel hurt by any of that kind of stuff,” he added. “It's just I don't really care about it.”

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said despite the Young pick, he loves everything about Iosivas.

"I still look at him as if he's a veteran in some ways, but he's still young," he said. "He's going into his fourth year now, and he continues to grow with the guys outside of him. I love his mindset, his attitude, and the way he works.

"We're all big fans, just looking for him to continue to improve."

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