It sounds like the Cincinnati Bengals and Geno Atkins could go different directions this offseason.
The Bengals sent Atkins to injured reserve Wednesday, ending his season. This after he suffered a shoulder injury over the summer and tried to play through it this year.
According to Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the upcoming talks between the Bengals and Atkins figure to have a predictable conclusion: “The Bengals and Geno Atkins will have a conversation after the season, but the belief is the two parties are going to part ways, per a source.”
Predictable, because Atkins is the team’s second-highest cap hit in 2021 at $14.8 million, a number that escalates to $16.05 million in 2022.
Whether the Bengals, Atkins or both parties want the split is hard to say, but he’s a costly cap hit for a 32-year-old interior rusher who hardly played this year. Similar to Carlos Dunlap, Atkins might also want to play somewhere that will give him a better schematic fit.
Those are merely points of speculation, of course. Atkins will have to spend the offseason getting healthy and what the Bengals elect to do with the current coaching staff is anyone’s guess. At some point, we’ll find out whether one of the best defenders in franchise history will stick with the Bengals.
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