The Cincinnati Bengals have decided to decline the fifth-year option on wide receiver John Ross.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the news.
The move doesn’t come as a surprise. Ross has had issues getting on and staying on the field over three seasons, but the flashes of that top-10 potential have emerged at times. With Joe Burrow under center and alongside wideouts A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins, Ross will get big opportunity to prove himself in 2020.
After missing 13 games as a rookie, Ross scored seven times as a sophomore primarily as a redzone weapon, then played eight games under new head coach Zac Taylor, developing on the fly and tallying a career-high 506 yards with three scores.
Ross, Cincinnati’s first-round pick at No. 9 in 2017, would’ve received roughly $15 million during his fifth year. We broke down in depth why the Bengals should be looking to keep Ross beyond that fifth year regardless of the decision on the option.
