The Cincinnati Bengals have a reputation as a franchise that keeps its own, perhaps more so than any other team.
Numbers provided by NFL Research and Spotrac above confirm this again so far this offseason, at least in terms of the AFC North. That’s a massive disparity too, while the rest of the division has prioritized outside names.
As usual, these sort of numbers help disprove the “Bengals are cheap” narrative — with a catch. The catch is simple: spending doesn’t mean it is smart spending.
Spending this offseason to retain Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap, for example, would classify in the minds of most as a smart decision. The jury remains out on spending to keep say, Bobby Hart. And some critical misses in this approach in recent years, such as letting Andrew Whitworth get away, are missteps the Bengals are still trying to recover from in the long run.
With guys like A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd heading into contract years, the Bengals don’t figure to have problems retaining the crown in player-retention spending next year, either.
