The Cincinnati Bengals only had to wait three days from the official end of the 2024 NFL season for the drama to ramp up, as Ian Rapoport reported that Germaine Pratt requested a trade from the team. Pratt re-signed with the Bengals in 2023 on a three-year deal worth $20 million and it was viewed as a smart move for the team at the time.
Pratt has continued to be a productive player for Cincinnati but with the team taking a new turn defensively and the front office needing to pay Ja'Marr Chase and potentially Tee Higgins as well, it's not surprising that he wants out. Now, of course, it's worth noting that just because Pratt requested a trade doesn't mean it'll happen.
Just last offseason the Bengals had both Higgins and Trey Hendrickson request trades out of Cincinnati and neither got their wish. The Bengals aren't a team that make a lot of trades so if they opted not to grant Pratt his wish, fans wouldn't be the least bit shocked by that.
Germaine Pratt's next team makes too much sense
If Pratt were to be traded, however, there's one team that could make a lot of sense as a landing spot for him. According to Charlie Clifford, Indianapolis might be where Pratt ends up.
"There have been rumblings for a couple weeks about Germaine Pratt's interest in reuniting with Lou Anarumo in Indianapolis. With his future very much up in the air in Cincinnati, going public with a trade request is a move that felt inevitable."
Cincinnati's defense was pretty bad this past season, which led to Lou Anarumo losing his job after spending six years as the Bengals defensive coordinator. That decision now could cost them a key player like Pratt, who clearly respected Anarumo and wants to continue playing for him.
The Bengals selected Pratt in the third round in 2019 and he elevated his play with every passing season. This past year saw him notch a career-high 143 tackles and had two interceptions and two forced fumbles during the 2024 season. Cincinnati could likely get a nice exchange in return for trading Pratt but with this franchise's (lack of) history of making trades like these, don't be surprised if Pratt is still donning the black and orange stripes in 2025.