What should the Bengals do with Geno Atkins?

Geno Atkins has had a career worthy of a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But sadly, Atkins is now past his prime and will likely not be with the Cincinnati Bengals when the 2021 NFL season begins.

An 11th-year veteran and eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Atkins is coming off his worst season as a pro. He suffered a right shoulder injury near the end of training camp, and he eventually landed on injured reserve because of it, as he never seemed to fully recover from it.

Atkins missed Cincinnati’s first four games last season due to his injury and never played 20 or more snaps in any of the eight games he has played in this year. He failed to record a sack and finished with just one tackle and one QB hit. He finished with a 54.0 PFF grade, by far the worst of his career.

Due to Atkins’ cap hit this season, it’s very likely his Bengals career is over unless he restructures his contract. The team can cut the soon-to-be 33-year old lineman this offseason and save almost $10 million in salary cap space, though they will be on the hook for $2.6 million in each of the next two seasons.

Atkins has played in 161 career games (134 starts), and stands third in team history with 75.5 sacks. If there’s ever a Ring of Honor in Paul Brown Stadium, Atkins is a strong candidate to be in it. There’s no doubt he’s one of the best to don Bengals stripes, but we’ve likely seen the last of it in terms of his playing career.

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