Every Bengals free agent departure in 2022 and how they did with their new teams

The Cincinnati Bengals were fortunate to not lose any huge names in free agency last offseason. That might not be the case this time around but that's a topic for a different day.

The topic at hand right now is how the players who did depart from Cincinnati last offseason did with their new teams in 2022. Did they make the right call leaving the Bengals or would they have been better off staying in the orange and black stripes?

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference and all contract info courtesy of Spotrac

How did C.J. Uzomah do with the Jets?

The biggest name to depart from the Queen City in 2022 was C.J. Uzomah, who the Bengals spent a fifth-round pick on in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Auburn. Uzomah didn't become a full-time starter until 2018 when he had 439 yards and three touchdowns in 15 starts.

When Uzomah went down in 2020, Drew Sample had a chance to step up and show that he was worthy of being a second-round pick and he did okay. The 2021 season, however, was still all about Uzomah at the tight end spot and he put together a career year, tallying 49 receptions for 493 yards and five touchdowns.

Naturally, Uzomah was a big name at the tight end position in free agency and while Bengals fans were convinced he'd take less money to stay in Cincinnati, they were sadly mistaken. Uzomah signed a three-year deal with the Jets worth $24 million, receiving an annual salary of $8 million.

Uzomah probably isn't too sad about his 2022 season because of that $8 million he made but he also was probably a bit sad as he watched the Bengals offense operate just fine without him. Uzomah was dealing with not having consistent quarterback play in the Big Apple and that led to him catching just 21 balls for 232 yards and two touchdowns.

It wasn't the kind of season Uzomah was hoping for but he got paid and that's likely all he cared about. It's hard to blame the guy for wanting as much money as possible.