Grading the signing: Bengals’ first big splash of free agency brings safety Bryan Cook back home to Cincinnati
The Bengals make an aggressively smart decision.
The Cincinnati Bengals were expected to make a splash at the safety position, and they did just that by agreeing to terms with Bryan Cook.
Per NFL Media’s insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Cincinnati is set to sign Cook to a three-year, $40.25 million contract.
$13.42 million per year is by far the largest contract Cincinnati has ever agreed to with a safety, but finding a quality starter to upgrade from Geno Stone was imperative this offseason. Their plan just happened to be the best possible course of action.
Grading the Bengals signing Bryan Cook to replace Geno Stone at safety
Grade: A+
Everything about this is phenomenal from a Bengals’ perspective. Cook was one of the best safeties to hit the open market this year after four really productive years of mostly-winning football with the Kansas City Chiefs, and he’s filling one of Cincinnati’s biggest offseason needs.
Cook won’t be 26 until the 2026 season begins, and according to our own Charles Goldman, he’s coming off his best season yet:
“A second-round pick by the Chiefs in 2022 out of the University of Cincinnati, Cook has developed into a physical safety who plays both in the box and deep, helping to stifle the running game and create takeaways. Since his rookie season, Cook has appeared in 62 regular-season games with 47 starts. During that span, he recorded 238 total tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, two fumble recoveries (including one for a TD), 15 passes defended, and three interceptions. He’s a two-time Super Bowl champion coming off what was perhaps the most complete season of his NFL career.” — Charles Goldman, A to Z Kansas City
To land a top option in the prime of his career at a huge position of need is already a fantastic outcome, but Cook is also signing a reasonable deal compared to what other safeties have signed so far. Kamren Curl netted $12 million per year in an extension last week with the Los Angeles Rams, and Minkah Fitzpatrick and Cook’s former college teammate Coby Bryant each got $13.33 million per year in their new deals.
Finally, Cook is a Cincinnati native who played both high school and college football in the city. He shined for the 2021 University of Cincinnati Bearcats team that went all the way to the College Football Playoff when it was still a four-team tournament.
This was the best possible outcome for the Bengals addressing the safety position. Cook’s market could’ve been more lucrative elsewhere, but he took a deal that will pay him nearly half of his contract in 2026 to play in his hometown. Easy A+ grade.
Where did Bryan Cook rank in A to Z Sports’ Top-100?
Final rank: 36
The skinny: The Chiefs selected Cook in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft to be their long-term answer at safety, and he’s been a quality starter across the board in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. He’s played in 62 games during his career, and had solid ball production as well, with three interceptions and 15 passes defended. This past season was his best at the position, putting up massive Pro Football Focus grades in overall defense (83.5), run defense (80.1), and coverage (83.2). He’s likely to move on from the Chiefs due to their salary cap situation, and a team could benefit massively because of it.