Bengals' Myles Murphy contract decision another sign of progress

The old Cincinnati Bengals would have picked up the fifth-year option on Myles Murphy, considering it a bargain with a year of cheapish team control and called it a day.

Not these new Bengals.

The Bengals surprised some onlookers this week by declining the fifth-year option on Murphy’s rookie contract. That number would have checked in at a fully guaranteed roughly $14.4 million in 2027.

Makes sense. Murphy didn’t show major signs of development until last year, and even then, the smallish sample size of 682 snaps isn’t a sure thing of future performance one way or another. He posted 5.5 sacks and 41 pressures, earning a 64.2 PFF grade (67th out of 115 edge defenders).

Still, the Bengals very, very rarely say no thanks on a fifth-year option. It’s a year of team control at an affordable clip on a younger prospect that extends the window for things like contract extensions or even franchise tags.

But these Bengals made it clear days before the news that the Murphy fifth year probably wasn't happening. They spoke mindfully about the 2027 salary cap in the wake of the Dexter Lawrence trade and other moves.

Make no mistake, the Bengals aren’t in any sort of cap space trouble in 2027 or beyond. They have levers, like restructuring, to pull if needed.

But the fully guaranteed price tag rate wasn’t going to fly based on what he’s shown so far. And we know this because over the last year, the Bengals have:

• Used a first-round pick on