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The Cincinnati Bengals have a little more cap space than projected as the first week of NFL free agency hits the finish line.
Thank some unexpected contract news.
First, the contract extension with Orlando Brown Jr. freed up nearly $3 million in space, according to Over The Cap. Brown’s cap hit in 2026 is now roughly $19.2 million, down from about $21.998 million.
Then there’s the unexpected Joe Burrow contract stuff.
The Bengals apparently received a $7 million cap adjustment this week, stemming from a probable Burrow contract insurance payout (which happened for several teams with big quarterback contracts), plus some other small housekeeping items around incentives and others.
All told, Over The Cap has the Bengals at roughly $33.9 million in free cap space. One big caveat, though, is the cap hit for new signing Jonathan Allen remains an unknown, so the number could dip by around $8 million. Tack on needing to pay a draft class ($8-10 million) and the number isn’t as high as it seems.
As always, though, another disclaimer: The Bengals can always create even more cap space by doing similar contract extensions or even restructuring deals. It seems like we’re too late in the process to actually see them do that with Burrow’s massive deal, but the option remains.
With big needs still at spots like linebacker, the Bengals have enough wiggle room to sign more players before needing to get creative with the cap. This week’s unexpected contract news certainly helps.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals news: Unexpected cap space gains from contract news
Continue reading...
Thank some unexpected contract news.
First, the contract extension with Orlando Brown Jr. freed up nearly $3 million in space, according to Over The Cap. Brown’s cap hit in 2026 is now roughly $19.2 million, down from about $21.998 million.
Then there’s the unexpected Joe Burrow contract stuff.
The Bengals apparently received a $7 million cap adjustment this week, stemming from a probable Burrow contract insurance payout (which happened for several teams with big quarterback contracts), plus some other small housekeeping items around incentives and others.
All told, Over The Cap has the Bengals at roughly $33.9 million in free cap space. One big caveat, though, is the cap hit for new signing Jonathan Allen remains an unknown, so the number could dip by around $8 million. Tack on needing to pay a draft class ($8-10 million) and the number isn’t as high as it seems.
As always, though, another disclaimer: The Bengals can always create even more cap space by doing similar contract extensions or even restructuring deals. It seems like we’re too late in the process to actually see them do that with Burrow’s massive deal, but the option remains.
With big needs still at spots like linebacker, the Bengals have enough wiggle room to sign more players before needing to get creative with the cap. This week’s unexpected contract news certainly helps.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals news: Unexpected cap space gains from contract news
Continue reading...
