Orlando Brown Jr.’s honest admission makes it no wonder why the Bengals were eager to help him out
It became easy for the Cincinnati Bengals to extend left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. because, above all, he just wanted to ensure this season was not going to be unnecessarily stressful.
Orlando Brown Jr. has signed the only multi-year contract extension for the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason.
Brown wrote team president Mike Brown a letter at the beginning of the offseason requesting an extension. He prioritized Year One money over future guarantees. His Average Annual Value (AAV) remains the same as it was four salary caps ago.
The Bengals got a deal done in March, long before Brown’s contract season would have begun. Avoiding that dilemma was exactly what Cincy’s starting left tackle had in mind.
Orlando Brown Jr. did not want to play out another contract year
Brown’s two-year, $32 million extension is the third contract he’s signed as a veteran player. He was traded while entering a contract year in 2021. He signed and then played on a franchise tag in 2022. A four-year deal finally came his way from the Bengals back in 2023.
Avoiding all of that drama from those two years was at the top of his mind entering this offseason.
“To be honest, man, I’ve been in the league nine years now, and I’ve played so much football for so long, and you know, contract years are just weird,” Brown said on First Word with James Rapien. “I’ve dealt with the franchise tag, I’ve like been in that spot before, and to me, like I said, it was just so much of an extra element of distraction to me that I didn’t think necessarily needed to be dealt with. Because I felt like my approach, in terms of the money I was asking for, was gonna be reasonable.”
This answer is quite unique coming from a Pro Bowl player and Super Bowl champion. Brown didn’t want to break the bank or maximize his earnings with what could be his last major deal. He simply wanted to avoid any and all drama and distraction that he previously experienced earlier in his career.
Brown also had every reason to stay in Cincinnati
The Bengals are going to be the team Brown has played the most games for later this year. He’s found a home in the Queen City. The locker room has counted on his leadership since his arrival four years ago.
From a pure football sense, sticking with this offensive line was another main desire. Left guard Dylan Fairchild, center Ted Karras, right guard Dalton Risner, and right tackle Amarius Mims are all coming back as starters, and Brown’s excited for how the group grows.
“We’ve got a really, really special group up front,” Brown said. “I’ve been a part of some crazy football teams and great offensive lines, but our group is so different, man. When we talk about just the guys in there, man, from Teddy [Karras], being who he is and everything he represents. You know, my man [Amarius] Mims coming into his own in his third year, some of the things I see him do the spring, or you know, light years ahead of where he was even just last year, and so he continued in the jump forward. Dylan [Fairchild]’s getting so much better, you know, his jump from year one to two is gonna be great, and you know, even myself being a season vet here going to my fourth season, I’m really excited about our group.”
An easy decision for Brown became an easy decision for the Bengals. The 30-year old is now in the heart of an offseason without anything looming over his head except getting back to the final game of the season.