The legal tampering period has begun, and general manager Duke Tobin wasted no time setting the tone for this offseason.
The 2026 NFL offseason is underway, and the fireworks have officially begun for the Cincinnati Bengals. In a summer where Bengals general manager Duke Tobin is under the most pressure he’s faced as an executive, the time is now for Cincinnati to get back into playoff and Super Bowl contention after missing the postseason for three straight years.
Defense is undoubtedly the priority for Tobin, along with head coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Al Golden. While he has yet to sign, it has been determined that superstar defensive end Trey Hendrickson is on his way out after an Instagram post thanking the Cincinnati faithful.
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) | © Sam Greene / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Today marks the NFL’s legal tampering period, where players are allowed to verbally agree to contracts with organizations without signing them just yet. Joining Hendrickson in leaving Cincinnati is defensive end Joseph Ossai, who signed a 3-year, $36 million deal with the New York Jets. After losing their top two players on the edge, the Bengals must rebuild from the ground up to reignite this defensive line.
After less than four hours of the contract negotiations and agreements, Tobin and the Bengals made their first two signings, both of which came on the defensive side.
Cincinnati made agreements to sign former Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook and former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Boye Mafe to three-year, $40.25 million and three-year, $60 million deals, respectively. Two of the top free agent prospects in their positions fill big holes for the desperate Bengals defense right at the beginning of the legal tampering period.
Cook will serve as the immediate replacement for Geno Stone, who was statistically one of the worst in his position throughout the NFL. This upgrade for Golden and the defense will be potentially the most impactful across the board. When looking at the rankings for individual stats, Cook vastly outperformed Stone in PFF coverage (No. 5 compared to 53 out of 66), forced incompletion percentage (No. 5 compared to 66 out of 66), and missed tackle percentage (No. 12 compared to 56 out of 66) (via X).
It may be nearly impossible to replace the significant impact provided by Hendrickson, but Mafe is definitely no slight. The 2024 NFL Sack Leader is expected to make anywhere from $30-40 million annually, whereas Mafe was able to be signed for just $20 million annually. He ranked eighth in the league last season in pass rush win rate with 19%, nearly trailing the 2025 NFL Sack Leader, Myles Garrett, with 21% (via X).
Former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Boye Mafe (53) | © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
This is just the beginning of a highly anticipated offseason for the Bengals. There are still more holes to fill, and Tobin will need to utilize the rest of free agency, along with the draft, to get this defense to a high enough standard for their postseason aspirations.