Bengals enter summer vacation with one more necessary task to be completed this offseason
The dead period of the NFL offseason has officially begun, meaning there won't be any Cincinnati Bengals practices from now until the start of training camp in late July.Before school was let out for the summer, the Bengals took care of business with Ted Karras and rookie Kris Jenkins. Karras received a one-year contract extension, and […]
The dead period of the NFL offseason has officially begun, meaning there won't be any Cincinnati Bengals practices from now until the start of training camp in late July.
Before school was let out for the summer, the Bengals took care of business with Ted Karras and rookie Kris Jenkins. Karras received a one-year contract extension, and Jenkins became the ninth draft pick of Cincinnati's 2024 class to sign his rookie deal.
That leaves just one rookie unsigned and away from the facilities for the next several weeks: first-round selection Amarius Mims.
Mims was the first pick the Bengals made in this year's NFL Draft, and he'll be the last to sign his rookie contract. The financials are mostly set as the rookie wage scale has taken care of the base numbers for well over the past 10 years. There's not much Mims and his agent can negotiate with salaries all being dependent on draft slot.
But with players gone for about six weeks until training camp begins, the Bengals will have to wait a while until Mims' pen meets paper.
A matter of when, not if, for Mims signing his deal
Unlike the days before the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement, a holdout is not likely. Mims was a participant in every practice during the Bengals' offseason program. It's his work ethic and taking to coaching that has impressed even the most experienced of veterans, including Trent Brown.
"He's a cool rookie. Mature. Eager to learn. He's going to be all right," Brown said. "I feel like he's engaged with the right mindset. He takes coaching well. Always has a smile on his face. That's the kind of guy you want on your team and in your locker room for sure."
It's an inevitably that Mims will sign the dotted line, a matter of when not if. Per OverTheCap.com, his deal will be worth a little over $15 million over the course of the next four years. Cincinnati can also attach a fifth-year option at the end of his deal after his third season concludes.
Unlike Tee Higgins, a veteran player who's not under contract, Mims has been able to practice with the rest of the team despite being unsigned. The reps he's given head coach Zac Taylor have been exactly what the sixth-year head coach has expected.
"Everything has been positive," Taylor said of Mims. "The things that we hoped to get from this time of a year from a guy like that, he's checked those boxes. Now it's the big part, consistently doing it over training camp, blocking people, and being able to react very quickly.
"I'm excited to see how he handles all that."
Mims' contract will come in time like his fellow draftees. If that's the only box unchecked heading into late June, the Bengals should feel tremendous about their massive rookie.
Bengals’ supersized first-round pick Amarius Mims is now even more physically imposing than he was in college
Cincinnati’s top rookie has added weight to his already immense figure.
