The Cincinnati Bengals landed two upgrades to the offensive line on day one of free agency (well, the legal tampering period) in the form of interior stalwarts Alex Cappa and Ted Karras.
And now we know more about the financial details of the contracts.
For Cappa, the reported four-year deal worth $40 million is only a $6.75 million cap hit this year, per Over The Cap. Cappa represents $11 million in dead money total, but bonuses minimize the actual cap hit. He has $11 million in guarantees and a $9 million signing bonus. The cap hit escalates each year.
For Karras, the reported three-year deal worth $18 million has a cap hit of just $5 million and just $5 million in guaranteed cash.
We still don’t know the exact details of the big B.J. Hill extension, but the team currently has roughly $21 million in cap space. That’s before making likely cuts such as Trae Waynes (roughly $10 million in savings) and Trey Hopkins ($6 million).
The Bengals didn’t deviate from their usual front-loaded structure but managed two big upgrades anyway with minimal long-term impact on the cap and manageable hits in the present.
With the current cap space and possibility for more via cuts, expect the front office to still be in on free-agent tight ends, if not more linemen — or a trade for someone like La’el Collins.
