Tag: Bengals free agency

Tee Higgins ranked as top-10 free agent, remains ‘best fit’ for Bengals

Tee Higgins’ best fit remains the Bengals, says new rankings.

The Cincinnati Bengals were recently listed as the best fit for a top-five free agent, the name coming from an outside team on the open market.

Those Bengals are also listed as the best fit for their own top-seven free agent, wideout Tee Higgins.

ESPN’s Matt Bowen provided the writeup:

If Higgins does make it to free agency, Carolina would also be a fantastic fit, as the Panthers need a WR1. But I have him staying in Cincinnati on the franchise tag, and with a healthy Joe Burrow back to start the 2024 season and Ja’Marr Chase on the other side of the field, this move could make the Bengals a Super Bowl contender once again. In four seasons with Cincinnati, Higgins has 24 touchdown receptions.

As of Tuesday’s window opening on the “key dates” for NFL teams calendar, the Bengals are free to use the tag on Higgins.

That tag that will cost roughly $20.7 million doesn’t have to happen right away, though. The Bengals have until March 5 to apply it, then until a July 15 deadline to work on a long-term extension.

Anything other than a tag that has Higgins playing for the Bengals in 2024 would be a stunner, though. His body of work and rankings like this — compared to the entire free-agent class — speak to why.

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Bengals listed as best fit for top-5 free agent

Should the Bengals pursue this “best fit” in free agency?

The Cincinnati Bengals have March 13 circled in red on the calendar this year, as that’s when they’ll have a crack at adding outside free agents when the market opens.

One of those, Baltimore Ravens star defensive lineman Justin Madubuike, is ranked as the fourth-best upcoming free agent by ESPN’s Matt Bowen, who writes that his “best fit” is Cincinnati:

Look for the Ravens to make a strong play to retain Madubuike, who had a career-high 13 sacks in 2023. But I also like him in Cincinnati for a defense that needs to add more speed and playmaking ability to its front seven. The Bengals allowed a league-worst 6.0 yards per play last season. Madubuike has the foot quickness and first-step juice to leverage blockers and make an impact on the pocket.

Rest assured, those Bengals would love to have a talent like Madubuike on the line, especially considering how he’s wrecked the Cincinnati offense multiple times per year in recent memory.

The Bengals certainly need help up front, with pass-rush being a major problem last year and DJ Reader’s serious injury before his own trip to free agency only complicating matters.

While the Bengals don’t necessarily project to spend the massive cash required to lure in a top-five free agent like suggested here, they haven’t been shy about spending big in recent years on outside names, either.

When it comes to Madubuike, both team and player could certainly do much worse on the open market.

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Patriots add another OT to free agency Bengals might like

The Patriots just made a decision that the Bengals might like.

Recently voided contracts sending players to free agency seemed to give the Cincinnati Bengals more options to look at on the open market soon.

Now we can add another to the pile.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the New England Patriots will let offensive tackle Trent Brown’s contract void, sending him to free agency.

For the Bengals, the more options the merrier when it comes to that position. Jonah Williams projects to earn a big contract on the open market, so they’re going to be looking at veteran right tackles.

Brown, going on 31 years old, just earned an 80.2 PFF grade but only played in 11 games, starting eight. Over the last five seasons, he’s appeared in a full campaign’s worth of games just once.

Still, Brown might present a realistic stopgap option for a Bengals team that could draft the position highly, too. And if nothing else, it’s another name for other teams to consider, meaning they might have a slightly better chance at getting a veteran they like better.

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Former Bengals DE Carl Lawson heads to free agency again

Carl Lawson is back on the market.

Former Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Carl Lawson is headed for free agency.

Lawson, a fourth-round pick by the Bengals in 2017, was one of four contracts voided by the New York Jets this past week.

After leaving the Bengals and signing a $45 million contract with the Jets in 2021, Lawson missed that season due to injury, played 17 games in 2022 and just six this past season due to a back injury suffered in training camp.

Notably, the Bengals went and signed Trey Hendrickson during that 2021 offseason, clearly in hindsight coming out way ahead.

Interesting now, though, is whether the Bengals might have an interest in Lawson as pass-rushing depth behind Hendrickson if the veteran can prove he’s healthy going into his age-29 season.

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Joe Mixon shreds idea he won’t be back with Bengals in 2024

Joe Mixon has thoughts about a report he won’t return to the Bengals.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon sees the “rumors” about his potentially leaving the team this offseason.

And he sure has some thoughts about it.

To set the stage, Pro Football Network’s Jay Morrison wrote this week that there’s an “expectation” that Mixon won’t be back with the team.

Mixon, who took a pay cut to stay with the team last year, has one year left on his current contract, though Spotrac notes that there’s an “out” built into it this offseason that the team could use.

An aggregator account on Twitter picked up the story — and so did Mixon:

Mixon has made it clear he wants to stay in Cincinnati and there’s a chance he might after rushing for 1,034 yards (4.0 average) and nine scores and catching another 52 passes for 376 yards and three scores.

There’s an argument the Bengals might want to get even younger at the position and they might. But the pay cut last year reportedly slashed $4.39 million off his 2023 contract and $4.67 million in 2024, leaving next year’s cap hit right around $8.8 million, same as 2023.

The team will need to decide if it requires a chunk of that change for things like Tee Higgins’ expected franchise tag and outside free agents, but it has plenty of cap space as it is.

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Possible Bengals target Chris Jones declares he isn’t leaving Chiefs

Chris Jones doesn’t sound like a guy who will be available for the Bengals to target in free agency.

Cincinnati Bengals fans on social media have consistently zeroed in on Kansas City Chiefs superstar Chris Jones as a player they want the team to go out and get in free agency.

But Jones, who just sparked his team to a Super Bowl victory, made it clear during the parade that he has no intention of leaving the Chiefs this offseason.

He kept the proclamation short and sweet: “And for those who want Chris Jones gone, I ain’t goin’ nowhere, baby! I will be here this year, next year, and the year after!”

In fact, it was eyebrow-raising considering Jones is scheduled to be a free agent. So much so, that his agent even went on Twitter and suggested they stop serving Jones drinks.

Joking aside, the Chiefs will probably find a way to retain Jones, giving him what he wants while pursuing a three-peat.

For the Bengals, Jones indeed makes a lot of sense given what a weakness the overall defensive line was last season. That’s only amplified now that DJ Reader suffered the season-ending injury that casts his return date in doubt (on top of being a free agent, too).

But for the social media-suggested pairing to happen, it sounds like the unexpected would need to happen between Jones and the Chiefs.

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Saquon Barkley or Josh Jacobs to Bengals? Analysts want to see free-agency splash

Two big names have been floated for the Bengals at running back.

The Cincinnati Bengals continue to pop up as a team suggested for big names at running back in free agency this offseason.

The idea is simple — Joe Mixon has one year left on his current contract, one year removed from taking a pay cut to stay with the team at all.

Frankly, Mixon’s production was good and it won’t be a shock to see something similar happening again. But when a team has a franchise passer like Joe Burrow, it’s always fun to play what if? by linking big names at any position to the team.

That includes running back, where two of the biggest names in the league have been suggested for the Bengals in recent days as the wait for free agency continues.

Eagles, Titans listed as possible free agency landing spots for Bengals WR Tyler Boyd

Could Tyler Boyd end up on the Eagles or Titans?

After the season concluded, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd talked about potentially joining the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency.

That stemmed from a question during a local event near Pittsburgh, but it’s not unrealistic. And neither are other possible landing spots — such as the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles.

So says Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger, who suggests those two teams as possible landing spots for Boyd:

Boyd brings in a sure-handed slot receiver that Jalen Hurts can get the ball out to quickly, not always having to buy himself time waiting for a downfield route to develop, which was certainly not always his fault. Nick Sirianni’s Colts roots have historically prioritized a slot that can catch passes underneath and run block, for example bringing Zach Pascal along with him from Indianapolis. Boyd obviously offers much more as a pass-catcher as well.

There’s always an outside chance Boyd and the Bengals agree on a reunion, of course, though with Ja’Marr Chase eligible for an extension and Tee Higgins likely getting the franchise tag at a minimum, he’s a third in the conversation right now.

On paper, the Titans make the most sense due to needing an every-down safety valve for Will Levis, especially with former Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan now the head coach there.

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Ranking key Bengals free agent market values

Rankings the contracts Bengals free agents could earn on the open market.

The Cincinnati Bengals have some massive names headed to free agency this offseason.

Some of those, such as Tee Higgins and Jonah Williams, could demand top dollar from other teams if they don’t wind back up in Cincinnati.

Or in the case of Higgins, will either way, depending on if the team has to use the franchise tag or they work out a new deal.

What’s interesting is stepping back and looking at the estimated market value for each of those big names. Spotrac does this, helpfully comparing each to other players of similar age and skill level to come up with market values.

Here’s a look at those projections and notes on each.

B/R predicts Bengals retain Tee Higgins this offseason

One analyst projects the Bengals keep free agency’s top WR.

Recently, Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin addressed the idea of applying the franchise tag to star wideout Tee Higgins.

That has felt like the most likely scenario for a while now, especially after team and player couldn’t agree to an extension before this point.

It’s also the prediction for Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine, who projected the landing spot for the top free agent at each position:

This season was drastically impacted by Burrow’s injury. A tag-and-trade scenario is possible if Cincinnati feels it can replace Higgins through the draft, but it’s even more likely it tags him and keeps the core together for one more season.

The Bengals aren’t likely to give up at least one more year of Higgins during a contention window, even if the franchise tag checks in at roughly $21.7 million.

While the Bengals also have to think about an extension for Ja’Marr Chase and other cap-sapping measures, the team enters the offseason with more cap space to work with than most teams.

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