Contract details for Bryan Cook, Boye Mafe reveal Bengals’ updated salary cap space with more roster needs to fill
Here’s where Cincinnati stands with its salary cap space.
The Cincinnati Bengals have made two big splashes on the first unofficial day of NFL free agency by agreeing to terms with safety Bryan Cook and defensive end Boye Mafe.
Since then? Absolute crickets.
There’s still a need at linebacker, and the options are slim pickings after both Kaden Elliss and Leo Chenal were taken off the market Tuesday afternoon. Cincinnati may also still want a defensive tackle, and a cornerback as well.
Like usual, the Bengals still have plenty of salary cap space to go through the remainder of free agency after the 2026 league year officially begins.
Bengals salary cap space update after signing Bryan Cook and Boye Mafe
The Bengals have $24,182,216 in available cap space with both deals for Cook and Mafe on the books, per OverTheCap.com. This is calculated from the top-51 cap hits on the offseason roster in addition to the $11,248,222 in dead money Cincy is already carrying this year.
Cook’s cap hit comes out to be $8,066,666, the sum of his base salary ($3,4oo,000), the prorated amount of his $14,000,000 signing bonus ($4,666,666), his $500,000 in per game roster bonuses, and $100,000 workout bonus. He will earn $18,000,000 in total cash this year, but because $14,000,000 is spread out over the next three years on the books, the cap hit is much smaller.
Mafe’s cap hit is a bit larger compared to the $27,000,000 in cash he’ll earn in 2026. His cap hit is $17,000,000, the sum of his $7,400,000 base salary, the prorated amount of his $15,000,000 roster bonus ($5,000,000), the additional $4,000,000 roster bonus he will earn on Saturday, his $500,000 in per game roster bonuses, and $100,000 workout bonus. It’s a very similar structure compared to Cook’s deal with a strong year one cashflow, but the additional roster bonus inflates the cap hit.
Cook and Mafe each have roster bonuses in the second years of their deals as well. Cook can earn $4,000,000 on Mar. 16, 2027, and Mafe will earn $2,000,000 on Mar. 19, 2027. Neither of those payments count against this year’s cap.
How much more cap space will the Bengals use?
Cincinnati typically stops using cap space before the NFL Draft when around $15-20 million is left remaining, so while I don’t expect the Bengals to stop spending after just Cook and Mafe, there may not be another major signing coming down the pipe without a counter move to free up space.
Cook and Mafe also bring the roster total to 66 players. Expect that number to stay at or below 70 by the time the draft rolls around to fit in a projected eight player selections and the ensuing college free agent class.
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