The Cincinnati Bengals front office now has some pressure on their shoulders throughout this off-season and many to come. The Bengals will have some notable free-agent names and some key pieces that now become eligible to be extended on long-term deals.
The Bengals only have so much money to go around and Duke Tobin will have to disperse the money in a very savvy and competent way to maintain all of the core pieces. Three very key names now become eligible and it will be interesting to see how the Bengals handle their business.
3. Logan Wilson
The defensive shot caller, Logan Wilson will hit the market next year but can now start negotiating a contract to stay with the Bengals. If the Bengals choose to re-sign Wilson to a long-term deal he could be in for a somewhat hefty payday for the linebacker market.
Wilson is the perfect mold for a modern-day linebacker. He tackles at a high level, can blitz, is solid in the run, and can drop back into coverage and hold his own. The problem the Bengals face is that Germaine Pratt now becomes a free agent while Wilson is still under contract for next season.
The Bengals will need to decide on what the priority is. Do they hold out and wait till next year to negotiate a deal with Wilson and risk the possibility of him going elsewhere? Do they re-sign Germaine Pratt or place the franchise tag on him to make sure he is here next season at the very least?
Or do they let Pratt walk, sign Wilson to a long-term contract and use up some of that crucial cap space that they could use next year on Ja'Marr Chase or somewhere else for the other core pieces?
Tough decisions will need to be made and depending on the money demand from the players they could find themselves in a great position or in a position where they have to part with someone vital to the organization.