The Cincinnati Bengals agreed to add guard Xavier Su’a-Filo as part of their big expenditures in the first week of free agency.
Su’a-Filo was always a curious add after the cut of John Miller, as it wasn’t clear if it was the front office thinking it found a starter or some quality depth.
Now we know a little more.
According to Spotrac, the three-year deal worth about $9 million is essentially a one-year deal thanks to an out built into it. There is a $1 million signing bonus and he’s a $2.3 million cap hit in 2020, which escalates to above $3 million in each of the next two seasons if the Bengals keep him on the roster.
That screams “backup money” with an upside of huge value if Su’a-Filo can tap into some of his potential and actually step in and be a starter.
Either way, the Bengals paid up to get a guy in the door and built the contract in a way that lets them have an out after one season if necessary, meaning this could be another John Miller situation if things don’t work out.
