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D.J. Reader was the first free agent the Cincinnati Bengals agreed to terms with, but his contract was the last to become public.
$53 million over four years is the totality of Reader’s contract, but the signing bonus of $16.25M prorated over the length of the deal and a 2020 cap hit of $10.06M were crucial details in determining just how much the Bengals spent this offseason.
Before we look at that and how much cap space they have left, let’s look at what they saved beforehand.
A few days before free agency tampering began, the Bengals kicked things off by releasing Cordy Glenn. The inevitable move created $9.5M in cap space, but it wasn’t the only move of its kind. The releases of B.W. Webb ($3.6M cap space created), John Miller ($2.7M), and Dre Kirkpatrick ($8.3M) soon followed Glenn, and all moves became official before any of their free agent acquisitions.
Because of this, the Bengals’ cap space went from about $46M to just over $70M before that number started shrinking. Here’s how it shrunk:
Bengals 2020 Free Agency Signings
| Name | 2020 AGE | POSITON | FROM | YEARS | TOTAL$ | SIGNING$ | 2020 CAP HIT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | 2020 AGE | POSITON | FROM | YEARS | TOTAL$ | SIGNING$ | 2020 CAP HIT |
| D.J. Reader | 26 | ID | HOU | 4 | $53,000,000 | $16,250,000 | $10,062,500 |
| Trae Waynes | 28 | CB | MIN | 3 | $42,000,000 | $15,000,000 | $10,000,000 |
| Vonn Bell | 26 | SAF | NO | 3 | $18,000,000 | $3,000,000 | $5,000,000 |
| A.J. Green | 32 | WR | CIN | 1 | $17,971,000 | $0 | $17,971,000 |
| Xavier Su'a-Filo | 29 | G | DAL | 3 | $9,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $2,020,833 |
| Mackensie Alexander | 27 | CB | MIN | 1 | $4,000,000 | $1,500,000 | $3,953,125 |
| Josh Tupou | 26 | ID | CIN | 1 | $2,133,000 | $0 | $2,133,000 |
| Brandon Wilson | 26 | SAF | CIN | 1 | $2,133,000 | $0 | $2,133,000 |
| Cethan Carter | 27 | TE | CIN | 1 | $2,133,000 | $0 | $2,133,000 |
| Alex Redmond | 25 | G | CIN | 1 | $2,133,000 | $0 | $2,133,000 |
| LeShaun Sims | 27 | CB | TEN | 1 | $1,700,000 | $250,000 | $1,681,250 |
| Josh Bynes | 31 | LB | BAL | 1 | $1,600,000 | $0 | $1,600,000 |
| Torry McTyer | 25 | CB | CIN | 1 | $875,000 | $25,000 | $875,000 |
| Mike Thomas | 26 | WR | LAR | 1 | $850,000 | $0 | $775,000 |
| Greg Mabin | 26 | CB | CIN | 1 | $825,000 | $0 | $825,000 |
In total, this is:
- $158,353,000 in total spending through 2023
- $37,025,000 in signing bonuses that will be paid up front
- $63,295,708 in 2020 cap space utilized
The signing bonus money is what the Bengals truly care about, as it represents the true guaranteed portion of the contracts. Reader and Trae Waynes have roster bonuses due to them days after the 2021 league year begins, but that’s guaranteed money in name only.
Still, the Bengals have to comply to the salary cap all year long and couldn’t eclipse the rough $70M mark. As of right now, per overthecap.com, the Bengals have $7,766,644 in 2020 salary cap space. This is counting for A.J. Green signing his franchise tag, and Brandon Wilson, Cethan Carter, and Josh Tupou signing their tender offers as well. Alex Redmond signed his yesterday.
Technically, the Bengals’ eight free agent signings from other teams can be voided if they fail their future physicals. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, player physicals have become much harder to orchestrate, so verbiage in the contracts were added to make the deals official without the requirement of a physicals beforehand. Eventually, the Bengals will find out if their new players passed or failed, hopefully the former.
So there you have it. The Bengals have less than $10m in cap space remaining just two weeks before the NFL Draft begins. The Bengals’ draft pool is roughly $12M, but draft picks are given a placeholder value of $610,000 until they sign their rookie deals and most become included in the top 51 offseason rule. This means the Bengals can technically fit Andy Dalton’s contract on the books for the time being, but don’t count on him staying for long.
Expect the draft to be where the Bengals attempt to trade Dalton once more. If nothing happens, his release soon after should be expected. Once his contract is off of the books, the Bengals will be in a more comfortable spot to sign any emergency free agents over the summer or intriguing players off of the waiver wire.