The Cincinnati Bengals are primed and ready for the 2024 season. Their franchise quarterback is back and seemingly healthy, they still have the best wide receiver duo in the league and they’ve reloaded with some fresh faces on the defensive side of the ball.
2024 could be the year we’ve all waited for.
But what comes after 2024?
That’s right, I’m going to ruin your Tuesday morning by talking about the guys we’re most likely going to be seeing in a Bengals uniform for the last time.
For both of our sakes, I’m not going to be listing all 34ish players whose contracts expire after the ‘24 season, just the ones worth mentioning...
Tee Higgins
Let’s start with the obvious. He’s not going to be extended. He’s not going to be traded. He’ll show up when he has to, and he’ll play as well as he can. Hopefully having him on the roster helps the Bengals win big.
Chances he’ll be on the roster in 2025: 0%
Ted Karras
Karras has been the center of the Bengals’ rebuilt offensive line, has established himself in the city of Cincinnati as a fan favorite, and is likely heading into his last season on the roster. He’s 31 years old, and the Bengals landed Matt Lee, who many believe will be the team’s center of the future, in the seventh round of this year’s draft.
The Bengals have now paid Joe Burrow, and they’re about to pay Ja’Marr Chase. They may not be able to afford Karras, even if they want to. There’s also the chance Karras will retire, as he’ll turn 32 next March.
Chances he’ll be on the roster in 2025: 10%
Mike Hilton
Along with DJ Reader, Hilton has been one of the best free-agent signings the Bengals have made in recent memory. He’s been a huge member of the defense and was instrumental in getting the Bengals to a Super Bowl and the AFC Championship game the following year. He is one of the best slot corners in the NFL and brings such a unique skillset to the box as a pass rusher and run defender.
Hilton will turn 31 next March, and the Bengals typically find themselves hitting a wall when players hit their third decade. Hilton is instrumental in this defense, but I doubt the Bengals will be able to bring him back, but a fella can dream.
There’s also the Daxton Hill factor. He’s moving to cornerback and will likely play primarily in the slot, so there’s a chance he’ll be groomed into becoming Hilton’s replacement.
Chances he’ll be back on the roster in 2025: 30%
BJ Hill
The Bengals once used a first-round pick on a center named Billy Price. He was really bad, and the Bengals traded this bad center to the New York Giants, who gave them Hill for some reason. That trade may have flown under the radar for 99% of NFL fans out there, but Bengals fans know different. Hill came to Cincinnati and, like Karras, just made the city fall in love with him.
He’s been a solid number two defensive tackle next to Reader and now next to Rankins. I’d love to see him in stripes next year, but he’ll be 30 in April. The Bengals also spent a pair of Day 2 draft picks on defensive tackles this year.
Chances he’ll be back on the roster in 2025: 30%
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Now that we’ve gotten the part that is hard to swallow down, let’s take a look at a few others.....
Jackson Carman
Many scratched their head when the Bengals grabbed Carman in the second round of the draft out of Clemson in 2021. They weren’t in the market for a new tackle at the time, but word came out they liked Carman at guard.
The thing is, he wasn’t good at guard, and he wasn’t great at tackle either. He’s stuck around because he can play both, but my guess is this is the end of the line for Carman.
Chances he’s on the roster in 2025: 0 %
Joseph Ossai
This play has fed Ossai’s legend for a long time now....
Joseph Ossai gets the sack of Tom Brady in his preseason debut! pic.twitter.com/wnzCiSNMdE
— Hook'em Headlines (@HookemHeadlines) August 15, 2021
The 2021 third-round pick hasn’t lived up to the hype since. He should have been a rotational pass rusher, but he’s racked up only five sacks in the last three years and just one in 2023. We’ve been looking for Ossai to break out for a while now. If he does, he’s likely too expensive, and if he doesn’t, why bring him back?
Chances he’s on the roster in 2025: 20%
Tanner Hudson
Is Hudson a starting caliber tight end, or was his 2023 season the result of him being the best tight end in a terrible, terrible room? The Bengals brought Hudson back on a one-year deal after he led the tight ends in ‘23. They also signed Mike Gesicki and drafted two tight ends.
Unless something weird happens where Hudson leads the tight end room again and has another great year, I don’t see him coming back. There’s too much competition at the position now, and the Bengals will want to see what they have in the young guys.
Chances he’s on the roster in 2025: 0%
Chris Evans
I don’t even know if he’ll be on the roster in 2024. I don’t know why he was on the roster in 2023. My guess is Evans makes the team, doesn’t see the field very often, and we forget he exists by this time in 2025.
Like Bernard Scott. Remember him? We got more out of Scott than we have Evans, and I barely remember Scott.
Chances he’s on the roster in 2025: 0%
Trenton Irwin
This is the last one, so let’s make it interesting. Irwin has shown he’s a capable receiver at the NFL level. He’s made some spectacular plays in big moments, and I could see a place for him on an NFL 53-man roster.
The question is, whose roster? The Bengals are loaded at wide receiver, and even after they lose Higgins, they still have Burton, Andrei Iosivas, and Charlie Jones on the roster.
I could see it going either way for Irwin. If the Bengals like what they have in Burton, Iosivas, and Jones, I could see Irwin going elsewhere. If Irwin gets another few hundred yards and a few touchdowns in ‘24, though, it’ll mean they like him more than someone I listed above.
Chances he’s on the roster in 2025: 50%
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Some other randomness:
- There are a lot of other guys to list above, but what’s the point of mentioning Trey Hill? If all goes right, he won’t even make the team.
- It’s good that Amarius Mims is getting a ton of first-team snaps right now. It’ll speed up his development. I’m looking forward to seeing Trent Brown, though.
- I want some sort of Good Morning Cincinnati Bengals show hosted by BJ Hill and Germaine Pratt.
Giving y’all some @BJHill5 & @GermainePratt7 media day BTS pic.twitter.com/cgFi7vYTEr
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) June 10, 2024
- Right now Joe Burrow’s career, in my opinion, stands on the edge of a blade. On one side is greatness, and on the other is being compared to Andrew Luck.
- I’m very excited for the safety position to take shape. I can’t wait to see Geno Stone next to Jordan Battle and/or Vonn Bell. I’m excited to see if Tycen Anderson can make some waves, and there’s the rookie Daijahn Anthony as well. There should be some fun position battles to pay attention to this offseason.
- Evan McPherson is also set to be a free agent after this season. I full expect the Bengals to make him one of the highest-paid kickers in the league.
- Bengals teams in the past have been devoid of personality. They seemed to show up, play and go home. This is post Chad and pre-Burrow, of course. It’s nice to see Zac Taylor’s Bengals be dripping with personality on both sides of the ball.
- I don’t have time to play video games anymore. I work, I do this, I have the podcast, I coach little league, and the older I get, the more I enjoy sleeping or doing nothing at all. If there’s a game that will make me pick up a controller, though, it’s the new NCAA football game. Madden hasn’t been different enough to force me to buy a new copy for a few years. I’ll play the hell out of an NCAA football game, though. I’ll have to sacrifice sleep, unfortunately.
- Meatloaf said two out of three ain't bad. That’s two tight ends that worked out, CJ Uzomah and Hayden Hurst, and one that didn’t, Irv Smith Jr. The Bengals are betting the revolving door isn’t broken and that Gesicki works. What do you think? Will they be batting .500 at the end of the season, or .750?
- The season needs to get here. At least the preseason does.
One last time
the people will hear from me.
One last time
And if we get this right
we’re gonna teach ‘em how to say
goodbye
You and I
Who Dey!
Important Note: This article was initially edited by my 11-year-old son, Brock. Please welcome him as a new Bengals fan.
