The Cincinnati Bengals have a tall task in front of them when it comes to free agency this offseason with several key starters slated to hit the open market.
At the same time, the team will want to juggle cap space well while adding outside free agents, fitting a new draft class under the cap and working on the urgent Joe Burrow extension.
A staple of the offseason process is market projections for the top players set to hit free agency from Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger. This year, his list of top 100 players set to hit the market features four Bengals players:
- 4. Jessie Bates: Five years, $75 million ($15M per year); $40 million total guaranteed
- 45. Vonn Bell: Three years, $22 million ($7.33M per year); $13.25 million total guaranteed
- 51. Germaine Pratt: Three years, $24.75 million ($8.25M per year); $14.75 million total guaranteed
- 74. Hayden Hurst: Three years, $28.5 million ($9.5M per year); $17 million total guaranteed
More notable than the rankings are the actual projections, which annually shake out to be pretty accurate.
And if those projections are accurate — the Bengals are in a really good spot. It’s generally accepted the front office will try to get back two or three of the above names.
At those price ranges, Bell and Pratt are very affordable. Hurst is probably a little more expensive than they would prefer, but the market tends to over-inflate pass-catching weapons right now.
Bates, of course, is the big conversation. It’s hard to imagine the front office would invest so much cash in safety after using a first-rounder on Dax Hill last year. But…that contract projection isn’t too expensive either, which makes things pretty interesting.
These projections don’t change the idea the team will only get back two to three of the above names. But it does provide an interesting guideline to work from as the team gets ready to put its ample cap space to use.
