Bengals allowing veteran to enter free agency
The third-year player carved out a role in Cincinnati last season.
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mitchell Wilcox is set to test the open market of free agency.
Per NFL insider Tom Peliserro, the team will not be tendering the restricted free agent prior to the new league year.
Wilcox was an undrafted free agent signee of the Bengals back in 2020 and has stuck with the team ever since. After spending his rookie season on the practice squad, the former South Florida Bull worked his way up to the active roster in 2021, appearing in 15 games that season.
He made the team again in 2022, playing the entire season as the team's No. 2 tight end behind Hayden Hurst. He recorded 17 receptions and 139 yards and his first-career touchdown, which came against his hometown team in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bengals opting to not place an original round tender on Wilcox doesn't automatically mean they'll lose him in free agency. He'll become an unrestricted free agent and will be eligible to re-sign with Cincinnati, or take a contract with the 31 other clubs.
Tight end is a position the Bengals will look to upgrade this offseason, specifically in the NFL Draft. They’ve already met with most of the Draft's top tight end prospects, including local star Michael Mayer.
Wilcox may not attract much interest in free agency, leading to a reunion with the Bengals. But this could also spell the end of his time in the Queen City.
