The Bengals risk losing Myles Murphy after declining his fifth-year option
The question of Myles Murphy’s long-term future with the Cincinnati Bengals doesn’t have a clear-cut answer. And that’s precisely what makes it one of the more compelling roster decisions the Bengals have on their hands.
After spending more than any team in the NFL this offseason, the Bengals declined Murphy’s fifth-year option ahead of Friday’s deadline, choosing not to commit $14.5 million guaranteed for 2027.
The move came just days after general manager Duke Tobin addressed Murphy’s contract situation and Cincinnati’s plans to keep him on the roster:
“He’s a guy we are counting on not only this year, but we would like a long-term relationship with him,” Tobin said. “I don’t know whether that comes together. We are at the top of the league in spending right now, so we are going to have to make it work and we’ll see what we do with that.”
While some would agree that failing to secure Murphy through 2027 is the right move for now, the Bengals risk losing him via trade or in free agency if certain scenarios come into play.
Murphy finished 2025 with career highs of 52 tackles and 5.5 sacks, leading the Bengals in sacks while doubling his playing time from the previous season. At only 24 years old, his trajectory is pointed in the right direction.
And Al Golden’s defense, which now has Dexter Lawrence collapsing the pocket from the interior, Boye Mafe setting the edge on the opposite side, and a rebuilt secondary behind him, are the exact conditions that could push him to have an even better year. Murphy has never operated in a defense this stacked around him, and there is a legitimate argument that his true ceiling remains untested.
Spotrac currently projects Murphy to command $11 million per year in free agency next offseason. The Bengals have an estimated $36 million in cap space projected for 2027, meaning a long-term deal structured correctly could keep Murphy in Cincinnati without the rigidity of the option number. If that deal gets done before training camp, the Bengals retain a young, ascending pass rusher at a market-appropriate figure. That’s the best-case outcome for both sides.
But then there’s the part that’s difficult to overlook: Murphy’s numbers. He has 92 career tackles and just 8.5 sacks across three NFL seasons and although he showed signs of breaking out last season, he still has plenty to prove.
The addition of Cashius Howell, graded as a first-round talent by the Bengals’ own evaluation, has created a depth chart where Murphy, Mafe, Stewart, and Howell represent a significant concentration of investment at the same position. Someone has to lose snaps in that rotation, and if Howell’s development accelerates quickly, Murphy could find himself as the odd man out in a crowded room regardless of how his contract situation resolves.
The Bengals may value Murphy enough to see him in their long-term plans, but not enough to guarantee his roster spot at a certain price point. One could even argue that the arrival of Howell may have been the weight that tipped the scales on the option decision.
Nevertheless, if Murphy has a big year, he’ll have enormous leverage in extension talks and may even price himself out of Cincinnati’s range entirely. But if he has an average year, letting him walk after the 2026 season is a real possibility that neither side appears to want.