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In a perfect world, Carl Lawson would’ve received a contract extension this past Summer. The Cincinnati Bengals have leaned on Lawson providing their entire pass rush this season, and the 25-year old edge defender has set himself up to sign a sizable second contract this offseason.
Lawson has at least one more game with the Bengals this Sunday against the Ravens, and when asked about wanting to return to Cincinnati next year, Lawson did not want to answer and claims that things are “going well.” He told ESPN’s Ben Baby he’s very superstitious, which explains the lack of answer.
Bengals DE Carl Lawson cut me off when I asked him if he wants to be in Cincinnati next year.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) December 30, 2020
Said things are going well and he doesn't want to jinx anything. Lawson is very superstitious, he said.
A fourth-round pick from Cincinnati’s 2017 NFL Draft class, Lawson peaked at the right time. He spent half of the 2018 season on the Reserve/Injured list with a torn ACL and was never quite healthy for the 2019 season. It made sense why the Bengals chose to let Lawson play out his rookie contract, and it makes sense why staying healthy for the entire 2020 season was one of Lawson’s three goals.
Bengals DE Carl Lawson said he's on track for two of his three goals for the year, one of them being playing all 16 games. Lawson has battled injuries the last two years.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) December 30, 2020
Players and coaches can be very ambiguous when talking about the future during the season, so it’s not unusual for Lawson to be dodging questions about his impending free agency status.
Maybe one of his goals is to earn a contract here. You never know.