ESPN analyst sheds light on why the Bengals need to be ready to give out their next big contract to DJ Turner II
Cornerback DJ Turner II is the Cincinnati Bengals’ logical top priority for a contract extension before the 2026 regular season begins. The 25-year-old is coming off the best season of his career, and ESPN NFL analyst Benjamin Solak projects Turner will command top-10 cornerback money on his upcoming deal.
Cornerback DJ Turner II is the Cincinnati Bengals’ logical top priority for a contract extension before the 2026 regular season begins.
The 25-year-old is coming off the best season of his career, and ESPN NFL analyst Benjamin Solak projects Turner will command top-10 cornerback money on his upcoming deal.
“As a 25-year-old corner No. 1 who can shadow dudes, he should not be making anything less than like Alontae Taylor just got on the open market and free agency,” Solak said. “That’s 19.3 million dollars [per year].”
Solak’s analysis sees Taylor as the clear floor for Turner’s average annual value. Taylor’s three-year, $58 million deal currently ranks 11th among NFL cornerbacks in AAV at $19.3 million per year. Turner, who would be signing after Taylor, should surpass that number and enter the top-10 at the position.
DJ Turner II’s 2025 season backs up his pending price tag
Turner has every right to be paid like a top-10 CB following the season he just put together. He allowed a completion percentage of just 47.7% on passes targeted at his coverage, which ranked eighth among all cornerbacks last season.
Per Solak, 27.7% of Turner’s coverage snaps resulted in either a pass breakup or an interception. That figure ranked third in the NFL behind only Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Christian Fulton and Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback James Pierre.
Turner wasn’t simply limiting positive plays in his direction. He was making plays on the ball at a higher rate than 99% of cornerbacks at his position. Considering Fulton and Pierre both played only part of the season, Turner’s ranking becomes even more impressive. He was a full-time starter for the first time in his career and still produced at an elite clip.
Other extensions could push Turner’s price higher
Where this gets interesting is the broader cornerback market still taking shape. Solak notes that both New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon are also looking for second contracts this offseason. If either of those deals gets done before Turner’s extension, his value could inflate beyond the Taylor baseline.
This is just how the market progresses. Players at the same position wait each other out, trying to secure the best possible deal. Whoever signs first typically ends up with the slightly smaller contract in terms of total value and total guarantees. Turner’s camp is well aware of the leverage that comes with patience.
“We want to keep our guys,” director of player personnel Duke Tobin said Monday. “What happens around the league does affect us, and we’ll have to look at that and see how it affects us, and what we can do going forward.”
What to expect from a Turner extension
Turner wasn’t a first-round pick like Gonzalez or Witherspoon, and he hasn’t earned a Pro Bowl or All-Pro honor just yet. But the Bengals value him as their No. 1 CB, and they will pay him as such. Cincinnati has made it clear that locking Turner up is the priority before the season starts.
Expect his deal to come in at a minimum of $20 million per year. The production, the age, and the market all point in that direction. If Gonzalez or Witherspoon sign first and reset the market, Turner could push even closer to those numbers.
The Bengals know what they have in Turner, and last season’s numbers make it impossible to argue otherwise.