Myles Murphy started to show some life late last season, which is why it was a bit of a surprise when the Cincinnati Bengals decided against exercising his fifth-year option.
But, according to de facto GM Duke Tobin, that doesn’t mean they are looking to move on.
“He’s a 24-year-old guy that’s just starting to scratch the surface,” Tobin said in a press conference, per Bengals.com. “He’s a guy that we believe in. He’s going to be a big part of what Al [Golden] and his staff does… The organization believes
in Myles and will continue to explore a long-term relationship.“
So why didn’t they just keep him around?
Here’s what Geoff Hobson wrote:
About half of Murphy’s fellow 2023 first-rounders haven’t had their fifth years exercised as the Bengals hope to take that $14 million option and convert it into a better salary cap fit for upcoming seasons.
Since the Bengals locked up their premier offensive weapons to long-term contracts in 2025 and now have a hefty sum dedicated to a well-stocked defense, the front office appears to be prioritizing the flexibility associated with a future extension over the more rigid fifth-year option number.
That makes sense in general, and it especially makes sense after the Bengals really pushed themselves to their spending limit this offseason with the trade for Dexter Lawrence.
We talked about the change in approach to spending of Duke Tobin and Katie Blackburn in our recent show.
