Grading the signing: Boye Mafe goes from Super Bowl champion to potential savior of the Bengals’ pass rush
Boye Mafe is another big splash for the Bengals in free agency.
The Cincinnati Bengals quickly responded after agreeing to terms with safety Bryan Cook by reaching an agreement with former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Boye Mafe.
Mafe’s agreement was first broke by his agent, Mike McCartney, and the terms are a three-year, $60 million.
$20 million per year is a hefty price in terms of Average Annual Value (AAV), but so was $15 million per year five years ago when the Bengals landed Trey Hendrickson. Cincinnati is taking a similar bet with Mafe.
Grading the Bengals signing Boye Mafe to replace Trey Hendrickson at defensive end
Grade: B+
Mafe is an ascending player whose production doesn’t quite match his impact. He only had two sacks last year for the eventual Super Bowl champions, but his pass rush win rate was comparable to some of the best options on the free agent market this year. His win rate against true pass sets was a solid 17.4% ranked 29th out of 60 qualifying EDGEs according to Pro Football Focus, and Next Gen Stats held him in even higher regard.
Mafe has posted at least 40 pressures in each of the last three years for Seattle. He was a full-time starter in 2023 when he racked up 58 pressures and nine sacks. Now that he’s going to be a full-time starter for the next few years, there’s a good chance the former second-round pick becomes more worthy of such a large AAV, as explained by our own Destin Adams:
“It feels like Mafe didn’t get talked about as much as other top free agent edge rushers ahead of free agency. The 27-year-old has excellent speed off the edge and flashed a ton for Seattle while a part of their pass-rush rotation over the years. He should get the chance to earn a larger role with the Bengals.
He wasn’t treated as so, but I think Mafe has the chance to end up being the third-best edge rusher to hit free agency behind just Trey Hendrickson and Odafe Oweh. To me, the goal of signing big-ticket free agents is to see the player play the best football of his career to date during the contract you are handing them. I think Mafe is a prime candidate for just that, and I bet the return on the investment for Cincinnati will be substantial.” — Destin Adams, A to Z Sports
It’s not quite an A-level signing due to the slight overpay, but that’s the nature of positional markets such as defensive line. You need to offer a little bit more for a promising solution, and Mafe is indeed that.
Where did Boye Mafe rank in A to Z Sports’ Top-100?
Final rank: 39
The skinny: Mafe finished second among Seahawks EDGE players in win rate, per Pro Football Focus (17.4%) and he finished eighth in ESPN’s pass rush win rate in 2025. He’s an athletic, stand-up rusher who has a solid array of moves and a quick first step, but his abilities in run defense aren’t the greatest. He wins with quickness and is with high-end No. 2 pass rusher with the upside to develop into a No. 1 guy.