The biggest event in American Football and American sports as a whole is upon us: Super Bowl Sunday. A rematch of Super Bowl XLIX, it'll be the New England Patriots led by Drake Maye versus the Seattle Seahawks with Sam Darnold at the helm.
Certainly not the two teams or quarterbacks expected to be here back in August, but they're the last ones standing and only have each other as the last obstacle to the Lombardi Trophy.
Needless to say, the majority of Bengals' fans have no stake in this fight. While a lot of fans probably don't like the Patriots, it's not like the last few years, when they were vehemently against the Chiefs and had a personal rivalry against them. However, even if they're not too invested in the teams themselves, both squads have some interesting free agents that may hit the open market come March.
A few free agents in this Super Bowl stand out as candidates to help Cincy reach Super Bowl LXI. With that said, here are three upcoming free agents the Bengals and their fans should watch with a keen eye toward the future on Sunday.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference.
New England Patriots EDGE/OLB K'Lavon Chaisson
Drafted with the 20th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Chaisson's career in Jacksonville got off to a less-than-stellar start. In four seasons, he recorded just 5.0 sacks and hardly started, mostly being reduced to a depth piece/rotational player on the Jaguars' defense. Only in his rookie season did Chaisson play more than 50% of snaps; for the rest of his three years, he didn't go above 40%.
Chaisson then had a solid season with the Raiders, matching his production from his first four years with 5.0 sacks in 2024 alone. He still struggled, especially at finishing tackles, as he finished the 2024 season missing 22% of his tackle attempts, which was higher than Geno Stone's this year (20%).
Nonetheless, he flashed enough to get another opportunity, this time in New England. On route to the Super Bowl, Chaisson has had the best year of his career.
In 2025, Chaisson recorded 7.5 sacks, 10 TFLs, 18 QB hits, two passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, and a fumble-six. PFF has also accredited him with 54 pressures, which places him in the top 20 among all edge rushers in the NFL. One things for certain, Chaisson will be getting a bag this offseason, whether it comes in the form of an extension from the Patriots or from a team that needs some pass rush.
The Bengals are going to be one of those teams. Not only is Trey Hendrickson likely gone come March, but Joseph Ossai could very well be too. Even with Myles Murphy finally breaking out and having a great end to the 2025 season, they're still going to need someone on the other side of him who can produce, and Shemar Stewart is too much of a question mark right now to have complete faith in.
So, why not pick up another member of the LSU championship team in Chaisson? He's coming off his best year, he's still fairly young (will be 27 next season), and could be a great compliment to Murphy as he continues his ascension. He shouldn't break the bank either. Spotrac has his market value estimated at roughly $9 million per year, which is certainly affordable for Cincinnati.
The only thing that might turn the Bengals away is Chaisson's agent, David Mulugheta.
Cincinnati has struggled getting deals done with Mulugheta and his clients in the past (Jessie Bates, anyone?); however, the two sides did work together to get Ossai a one-year extension last offseason, so it's not completely out of the question either.
New England Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins
Safety was one of the weakest positions on an already terrible defensive unit this past season. Geno Stone's tenure in Cincy was nothing short of disappointing, and he is almost certainly out the door. Jordan Battle is so inconsistent that the verdict is still out on whether or not he should be a part of their future plans.
With all that in mind, the front office is going to have to address the safety position this offseason. Chances are, they do it through the draft with how deep the safety class is, but if they want to go after a proven veteran, Jaylinn Hawkins will be available.
Another member of the 2020 draft class, the former Golden Bear was signed by the Patriots in 2024 after being drafted by the Falcons and spending his first few years with them, as well as half a year in Los Angeles with the Chargers.
Just like Chaisson, en route to Super Bowl LX, Hawkins has had the best year of his career. He finished the 2025 regular season with 71 tackles, 4 interceptions, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and recovery, only missed 9% of his tackle attempts and allowed just a 71.2 passer rating when targeted, earning an 82.4 PFF grade, ranking fifth among all safeties in the league.
Despite the year the California alum just had, his market value isn't anything egregious. In fact, it's less than what his teammate's is mentioned above, at just about $8.3 million annually. Hawkins is affordable, coming off a career year, and would serve as an immediate upgrade to a position that desperately needs it.
If New England doesn't give Hawkins an extension, the Bengals should be in contact his agent as soon as the legal tampering period begins on March 9th.
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen
Cornerback is not a position that the Bengals need to upgrade. DJ Turner just had a breakout, All-Pro caliber year. Dax Hill was able to stay healthy after tearing his ACL in 2024 and was one of the best corners in coverage down the stretch after being moved to the boundary. Even Jalen Davis impressed in his first real opportunity to see the field at nickel. So, why would the Bengals pursue the tall cornerback on Seattle who wears #27?
Well, a couple of reasons, actually. For one, depth at the position is something that a lot of fans are overlooking.
With Cam Taylor-Britt likely out of Cincinnati, especially with his most recent off-field issue, the Bengals' depth at cornerback looks really troubling. If Dax Hill or DJ Turner were to go down with a major injury (knock on wood), the Bengals would be giving snaps to DJ Ivey and Josh Newton. Both are fine players in small sample sizes and as rotational pieces, but if either are forced to start over a long period of time, things could get dicey.
Secondly, as Stripe Hype's own Matt Fitzgerald has pointed out, it's not crazy to think that the front office won't get extensions done with Dax Hill or DJ Turner (or, ultimate nightmare scenario, both of them). With both of their contracts up after this next season, they'll have to replace one of them, and while they'd most likely do that through the draft this year, they could, instead, go after Riq Woolen in free agency as an immediate contributor this year and long-term replacement for one of them.
According to Spotrac again, Woolen would command less money than either of them ($8.2M/year in comparison to an estimated $10M/year for Dax and $14M/year for Turner), so the Bengals could very well look to him as a cheaper replacement rather than just getting extensions done for the duo.
Granted, they would probably be more likely to just draft a replacement, but considering how much headache that route has given them these last few years, they may try a different approach.