Signing quarterback Joe Burrow to the largest contract in NFL history last September will not prohibit the Cincinnati Bengals from spending in free agency this offseason. But before they improve their roster for next season, they have several decisions to make on their own free agents.

20 Bengals from the 2023 season are up for new deals, and a handful of them have been starters in Cincinnati for years. There's a good chance most of them will end up being starters on other teams next season.



Who's all set to enter free agency when March comes around? Listed below is a full rundown ordered by percentage of snaps played on offense, defense, or special teams depending on the player's respective position.

Bengals 2024 Free Agents

Jonah Williams

Position: Right tackle

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 100%  

2024 age: 27

Tyler Boyd

Position: Wide receiver

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 75.7%

2024 age: 30

Chidobe Awuzie

Position: Cornerback

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 65.8%

2024 age: 29

Tee Higgins

Position: Wide receiver

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 52.7%

2024 age: 25

DJ Reader

Position: Defensive tackle

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 48.8%

2024 age: 30

Drew Sample

Position: Tight end

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 45.7%

2024 age: 28

Jake Browning

Position: Quarterback

Free agent type: ERFA

2023 snaps: 43.1%

2024 age: 28

Trenton Irwin

Position: Wide receiver

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 39.4%

2024 age: 29

Cal Adomitis

Position: Long snapper

Free agent type: ERFA

2023 snaps: 32.3%

2024 age: 26

Irv Smith Jr.

Position: Tight end

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 30.3%

2024 age: 26

Josh Tupou

Position: Defensive tackle

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 26.2%

2024 age: 30

Tanner Hudson

Position: Tight end

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 25.4%

2024 age: 30

Mitchell Wilcox

Position: Tight end

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 21.1%

2024 age: 28

Trayveon Williams

Position: Running back

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 14.3%

2024 age: 27

Akeem Davis-Gaither

Position: Linebacker

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 9.0%

2024 age: 27

Cody Ford

Position: Guard

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 7.3%

2024 age: 28

Markus Bailey

Position: Linebacker

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 2.6%

2024 age: 27

AJ McCarron

Position: Quarterback

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 1.6%

2024 age: 34

Max Scharping

Position: Center

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 1.2%

2024 age: 28

Joe Bachie

Position: Linebacker

Free agent type: UFA

2023 snaps: 0.9%

2024 age: 26

Of the 20 free agents Cincinnati has this offseason, 18 of them are Unrestricted Free Agents. This means that the Bengals can either re-sign them prior to the 2024 league year beginning, or they will immediately become eligible to sign with other clubs.



Browning and Adomitis are classified as Exclusive Rights Free Agents, meaning they have two or fewer accrued seasons despite having an expired contract. The Bengals can offer a one-year contract for the league minimum salary based on their credited seasons, and Browning and Adomitis have no choice but to accept it. Another team cannot sign them unless they are not offered the ERFA tender.

As for the bigger fish, A to Z Sports salary cap experts Josh Queipo and Kyle DeDiminicantanio have projected free agent contracts for Higgins, Boyd, and Williams. 



The Bengals have several weeks to re-sign as many of their free agents as they'd like before other teams can get a crack at them. The vast majority of signings won't occur until the days leading up to the week of free agency beginning, and of course the legal tampering period that begins two days before the start of the new league year.

Important NFL Free Agency Dates

• March 5 @ 4:00pm ET: Deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
• March 11 @ 12:00pm ET: Legal tampering period begins, allowing for players who will become unrestricted free agents to negotiate with other clubs.
• March 13 @ 4:00pm ET: 2024 League Year and Free Agency signing period begins.

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