The NFL free agency will officially begin on March 15, although some teams already know they could miss some pieces. For the salary cap not everyone can keep their stars together, and the Cincinnati Bengals are one example.
Their rise as a Super Bowl contender had everything to do with Joe Burrow. The quarterback took the team to the big game last year, while also leading them to the AFC Championship game on the most recent one.
Burrow has already played three seasons in the league, so he is eligible for an extension. That’s the priority for the franchise, but they also have other stars to take care of in the near future. In 2024 Ja’Marr Chase could receive a long-term deal, as well as Tee Higgins soon. This left another star without much room to get paid.
Who is the defensive player the Cincinnati Bengals are set to lose?
Last year the Cincinnati Bengals had a player holding out in the preseason demanding a contract extension. That was safety Jessie Bates, who had received the franchise tag months before. The 2018 second-round pick became a leader of the defense, although the position he plays may force the team to let him go.
Bates is now set to become an unrestricted free agent. The safety seems that will find a new team in free agency, according to Jordan Schultz. He ended up playing his fifth year under the tag, so a second one would cost 15.5 million per Spoctrac. This number would be a bit expensive for the Bengals with the players they have to extend.