The Cincinnati Bengals entered this offseason with a handful of players who were looking for new contracts, including wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, defensive end Trey Hendrickson and linebacker Germaine Pratt.
Bengals general manager Duke Tobin and head coach Zac Taylor decided it best to lock Chase and Higgins in long-term on four-year deals first. And, while Hendrickson’s situation has yet to play out, we there’s finally been a resolution to Pratt’s saga, as the team released him on Monday.
Following the transaction, Taylor shared his thoughts on the decision through a press release.
“I’m very appreciative of what Germaine has done for our team over the last six years,” Taylor said. “He has been a part of plays and wins that will be remembered forever by Bengals fans. I will always pull for Germaine and I wish him the best moving forward.”
Pratt, 29, was a third-round pick (No. 72 overall) of the Bengals in the 2019 NFL draft after a collegiate career at NC State that included a First-team All-ACC selection in his final season.
While Pratt started his career as a backup behind Preston Brown, Nick Vigil and Jordan Evans as a rookie, he quickly earned a starting role by the end of his first year in the league.
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Over the last six seasons, Pratt has appeared in 96 games, recording 616 tackles (32 for a loss), 23 passes defensed, 10 quarterback hits, seven interceptions, seven forced fumbles, five fumbles recovered and 3.5 sacks.
Pratt was set to enter the final year of a three-year, $20.25 million deal in 2025. This season, he had a $5.25 million base salary and $250,000 in per-game roster bonuses.
As Pratt was looking for another deal this offseason, he requested a trade a trade back in February, but the Bengals decided to keep him around until June before letting him go.
Now, Pratt is late looking for a new job while Cincinnati saves $5.85 million with his release (per Over the Cap).
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