Despite missing out on some other key free agents from Stripe Hype's definitive Cincinnati Bengals mock offseason, the front office is commendably still swinging big during the NFL's legal tampering window.
After agreeing to terms with Kansas City Chiefs free-agent safety Bryan Cook, the Bengals scooped up Seattle Seahawks edge defender Boye Mafe. He's on a three-year, $60 million contract, per Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz.
I've had my eye on Mafe ever since he entered the 2022 NFL Draft. Wouldn't have minded him at all in the first round. The Bengals opted for Dax Hill at Pick 31 instead before Seattle took Mafe at No. 40.
Not the worst outcome to have Dax and Boye on the same defense all these years later! And now, Mafe gets to really come into his own as a cornerstone after being relegated to rotational duty for the recent Super Bowl champion Seahawks.
But the high-key, bigger-picture narrative I'm drawing from Mafe's arrival in Cincinnati regard the ramifications for Bengals 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart.
Boye Mafe is the blueprint for Bengals youngster Shemar Stewart to stay the course amid rocky early development
When Mafe entered the NFL, he had a stellar rookie campaign in a situational role, but only amassed three sacks. He took a big Year 2 leap with nine sacks and six pass deflections, followed by a six-sack effort the next season.
As mentioned above, Mafe saw his role decrease in Seattle in 2025 amid a loaded defensive line rotation. However, when he was in there, the 27-year-old was a disruptive force and should have plenty of tread on his tires ahead.
This Mafe signing actually isn't too dissimilar to the years-ago signing of Trey Hendrickson, who wasn't a full-time NFL starter until his fourth season in New Orleans. Not saying Mafe will produce like Hendrickson did, but still, there's a certain logic I'm following with the Bengals' front office for a change. We'll see if it pans out!
That’s essentially a Hendrickson 2021 deal by cap percentage for Mafe. https://t.co/skkBUXuiTV
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) March 9, 2026
Circling back to Hendrickson, who's about to walk away from the Bengals as the top edge rusher on the open market, part of the thinking in last year's draft was presumably that Shemar Stewart could be Trey's eventual successor. It's a tactic Cincinnati has deployed often in the first round of recent drafts.
Unfortunately, Stewart got injured early on as a rookie, and when he was healthy enough to be on the field, he looked downright dreadful.
Mafe is a perfect example of what it looks like for a young player with freakish athleticism to ride out a tough first season, learn from it, keep improving at your craft, and stay ready to make the most of your reps.
The story on Stewart's NFL career is far from written. Regardless of how the Bengals handle Myles Murphy's pending fifth-year option and eventual probable venture into free agency, it behooves Stewart to draw motivation from Murphy and his new teammate in Mafe.
Think about it. Mafe's trajectory has been a bit uneven, yet he showed enough to score a $20 million per year contract. Murphy didn't really come into his own until the second half of his third professional season — and the jury is still out to see if that 2023 first-round investment in him was worth it.
I just love that the Bengals kicked off free agency by landing Cook and Mafe. Three Super Bowl wins between them. They know what a winning culture looks like. They can execute complex schemes masterminded by the likes of living legends Steve Spagnuolo and Mike Macdonald. That's all Cincinnati could ask for and more.