The Cincinnati Bengals must extend Ja’Marr Chase and have 14 unrestricted free agents, so they will have to say some tough farewells this offseason. It’s likely that six of the team’s current starters won’t be playing in the Queen City in 2024.
For three players, it is a financial matter. They’ll probably demand a higher salary than the Bengals are prepared to give. The age of the other three players is more significant because they are all getting close to 30, and Cincinnati typically doesn’t extend players who are 30 or older.
Awuzie was a great addition to the Bengals during the 2021 offseason, having played a fantastic first year and a half for the team. Even though he has improved recently, he had a rough start to the season. The Bengals have already selected Cam Taylor-Britt, who has played like a rock star thus far in his career, to replace him.
Given that Awuzie is 28 years old, it seems improbable that Cincinnati would offer him a multi-year contract. They might think about resigning him for a manageable one-year contract, but it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for another team to offer him a higher salary and longer contract duration. After this season, it seems as though Awuzie will be leaving to join a different team in 2024, and the Bengals have made preparations for that possibility by selecting D.J. Turner and Taylor-Britt.
Though it’s depressing to consider Tyler Boyd playing for a team other than the Bengals, that’s the likely scenario for next season. Boyd joined the Bengals after they selected him with a second-round pick in 2016, and for a spell of years, he was one of the few offensive standouts.
In 2021, Boyd was moved to WR3 upon the addition of Ja’Marr Chase to the team. Even as a third-string receiver, he has continued to post respectable numbers in 2021, 2022, and this season. However, the Bengals will be paying Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and a few other important players, so they won’t have any money left over to pay Boyd.
