The Cincinnati Bengals have to be thrilled that one of their recent first-round picks is actually panning out. Right tackle Amarius Mims was thrust into duty early on as a rookie once Trent Brown was injured, and has acquitted himself well for the most part.
Mims played particularly well at the end of last season, when the offensive line was jelling like never before in the Joe Burrow era. Although the scheme is undergoing an under-center overhaul in training camp, which Dexter Lawrence and the new d-line are capitalizing on, Mims' arrow is definitely pointing up entering the 2026 season.
If Mims gets close to this ceiling in Year 3 and is an elite right tackle, he could get very expensive. That's especially so in light of the Chicago Bears' contract extension for Darnell Wright.
Bears' historic Darnell Wright extension could put Bengals in a bind with Mims
As was reported by ESPN's Ian Rapoport, Darnell Wright signed on for a four-year contract worth $116 million, making him the highest-paid right tackle in NFL history.
Wright was the 10th overall pick in 2023, while Mims was No. 18 in the next draft. Thus, the latter is extension-eligible next offseason with three seasons under his belt by that point.
It's not the Bengals' typical M.O. to extend players early. They made Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase wait longer than anticipated. They let Jessie Bates walk to leave a catastrophic hole in their safety room for years until Bryan Cook's recent arrival in free agency.
Complicating matters is the fact that many players are due to hit the open market in lieu of new deals. Those include starting corners DJ Turner and Dax Hill, WR3 Andrei Iosivas, safety Jordan Battle, and projected starting defensive end Myles Murphy, among others miscellaneous players.
If Mims commands a top-market contract, he'll be paid in excess of $30 million per year if Wright's deal is anything to go by. Then you factor in the ever-rising salary cap, and it could be even more.
Obviously, Cincinnati can just pick up Mims' fifth-year option, but would he be cool with that? Doubtful. Mims could very well be a legit top-seven right tackle by this season's end — and still have plenty of upside to explore going forward.
We as fans should focus on the positives of the 2026 campaign. It should be the most fun year in a while, because well, just returning to he playoffs after a three-season hiatus would be reason enough to be amped up. However, there are some very tough decisions on the horizon that will put the Bengals' improving organizational reputation to the test.
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