Quote:Trying to figure out how much money the Cincinnati Bengals will spend in 2025? You’re in the right place. We can all look at Over The Cap and see that the Bengals are projected to have $47.5 million in cap space with a salary cap of $278.4 million.

But that only tells part of the story. To really understand how the Bengals might spend in 2025, it helps to look back at how they’ve managed their finances over the past five years.

Since drafting Joe Burrow in 2020, the Bengals have ranked 21st in total cash spending—about 2% below the league average. Their spending has fluctuated, exceeding the league average in 2020 ($234.5 million vs. $218.8 million) and 2023 ($258.7 million vs. $245.9 million), which coincided with drafting and extending Burrow. However, they spent significantly less than average in 2021 and 2022 ($390 million combined vs. $440.7 million). In 2024, their spending aligned more closely with the average.

In 2020, their biggest cash expense was Burrow, followed by DJ Reader with a big signing bonus, Trae Waynes, A.J. Green, Joe Mixon, Geno Atkins, and William Jackson III. In 2023, big signing bonus payouts for Burrow and Orlando Brown Jr. drove spending.

In 2025, they're scheduled for $186.5 million in cash spend. This can decrease to as low as $142.85 million if the Bengals cut all of the speculated cap casualties (Hubbard, Rankins, Cappa, Pratt, Stone, Moss). Those cuts would leave the Bengals with $89.3 million in cap space as well, per OTC’s numbers.

Cap space should not restrict the Bengals in 2025 if they continue to modernize. But if they continue to do business the ol’ fashioned way without pushing cap hits into the future, we’ll hear the same stories about pie and cap space estimates that don’t seem to align with reality.

Unfortunately, most NFL cap coverage loses important details, getting lost in average annual salaries and basic cap numbers. Bengals fans have access to excellent cap literacy. We’ve broken it down on Locked On Bengals over the years, resident expert Andre Perotta frequently provides excellent breakdowns, and Joe Goodberry just did a great video focused on offseason priorities: contracts for Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Trey Hendrickson.

An important piece of the puzzle is cash spending, and to predict the future, tracking teams’ “cash over cap spending” is prescient. Over the last five years, the median NFL team spent about 10.7% more cash than the unadjusted salary cap per year. In that time period, the Bengals spent 8.6% more cash than the unadjusted salary cap.

Assuming the trend holds, if the Bengals 8.6% cash over cap in 2025, they’ll spend ~$300M in 2025. Depending on cap casualties, that leaves $113.5 million to $157.15 million in cash to spend, while Katie and Troy Blackburn navigate the corresponding $47.5 million to $89.3 million in cap space. The exact figures will depend on cuts, but we’ll track their spending throughout free agency to have an idea of how much they have left to spend.

What this cap and cash situation means, practically, is that the Bengals can structure contracts with Chase, Higgins, Hendrickson, or premier unrestricted free agents with big signing bonuses. Signing bonuses are the best way to spend cash and offset salary cap impact, because while they’re effectively paid out immediately, the cap hit is prorated over the life of the contract, up to 5 years.

For example, Orlando Brown’s $31.1 million signing bonus was prorated over the life of his 4-year contract, leaving an annual cap hit of $7.75M along with each year’s salary. He received $33.7 million in cash in 2023, but his cap hit was just $10.4 million.

If the Bengals took this approach with other big contracts, they could turn the roster over in a hurry. They’ve made strides in the way they do business, but if they don’t take steps to spend more competitively after disappointing results, it will be fair to question why they won’t put their money where their mouth is to build a real contender.

(01-15-2025, 02:51 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Many of us have been contemplating how the Bengals will spend their money and how they can manipulate the roster to create extra money, SI does a pretty good job in laying it all out.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/savingandinvesting/financial-breakdown-an-in-depth-look-at-the-bengals-cap-space-cash-spend-and-ability-to-improve-roster/ar-AA1xfNou?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=59041293885544b8fb3d0185c9c2050d&ei=6

(01-15-2025, 06:18 PM)jj22 Wrote: I don't agree with cutting Pratt just for the sake of saving cap. He may have had a down year, but we don't have the LB's to replace him.

Also I wonder why Bengals just don't get into cap hell, and ride that excuse for not signing FA's.  Not every year, obviously. It's just cap, it doesn't mean they'll be out the actual money for those years...

Dead Cap could be a cheap persons public relations cover to not sign FA's, and thus not spend cash on hand.

Seems right up their ally. 

(01-15-2025, 07:26 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: The problem with Pratt, is that he gave up on the idea of tackling. He now just leads with a strong shoulder, thinking he's going to knock guys down on contact. I got a newsflash for him, it ain't working. He should drop 15#, work on mobility and go back to what made him good to begin with, if he has any hope of making money with the Bengals or any other team.

(01-15-2025, 07:44 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I told my wife the same thing about Pratt several times while watching Pratt tackle. I know several times as she reminded me, I say that every game. 

(01-15-2025, 08:19 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I haven't done any in-depth analytics or anything, but just from watching every game, I'd say his missed tackles led to at least a dozen drives not ending on 3rd downs this year.

Edit: I hate to use the term "missed tackles" as he was there most every time, it was more of a failure to execute than flat out missing.

(01-15-2025, 08:29 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: In my humble opinion if a player has time to square up on a ball carrier and fails to get them to the ground, they missed the tackle. It does have to be a complete whiff.

(01-15-2025, 08:36 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote:
That's the frustrating part, he was there and in position most every time, he just failed to execute. I mean the atomic shoulder is good to use when knocking a guy out of bounds, but in the open field most NFL RBs can take a shoulder pop from a LB and keep on going. That's just playing lazy, by failing to bend and wrap. He failed his teammates, and Lou allowed it to continue all season long.

(01-15-2025, 06:18 PM)jj22 Wrote: I don't agree with cutting Pratt just for the sake of saving cap. He may have had a down year, but we don't have the LB's to replace him.

Also I wonder why Bengals just don't get into cap hell, and ride that excuse for not signing FA's.  Not every year, obviously. It's just cap, it doesn't mean they'll be out the actual money for those years...

Dead Cap could be a cheap persons public relations cover to not sign FA's, and thus not spend cash on hand.

Seems right up their ally. 

(01-15-2025, 07:26 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: The problem with Pratt, is that he gave up on the idea of tackling. He now just leads with a strong shoulder, thinking he's going to knock guys down on contact. I got a newsflash for him, it ain't working. He should drop 15#, work on mobility and go back to what made him good to begin with, if he has any hope of making money with the Bengals or any other team.

(01-16-2025, 11:33 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: They arent going to cut all of Hubbard, Rankins, Cappa, Pratt, Stone, Moss. A couple of them? Sure, and they need to do that.

People want to scream and yell "cut him and him, save on cap money!"....but you have to replace these people. If we cut Stone and Pratt, who is going to play safety and LB next year? Are we comfy just giving the job to Battle? Do we draft someone? Sign someone?

Same with Pratt. If we cut Pratt, they are going to need to either draft or spend in free agency.

(01-16-2025, 11:37 AM)Bengalbug Wrote: Cut Pratt, sign Bobby Wagner.

Pratt AAV - $6,750,000
Wagner AAV - $6,500,000

Probably not that simple as Wagner probably re-ups with commanders after the success they had this year as a team.

(01-16-2025, 11:33 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: They arent going to cut all of Hubbard, Rankins, Cappa, Pratt, Stone, Moss. A couple of them? Sure, and they need to do that.

People want to scream and yell "cut him and him, save on cap money!"....but you have to replace these people. If we cut Stone and Pratt, who is going to play safety and LB next year? Are we comfy just giving the job to Battle? Do we draft someone? Sign someone?

Same with Pratt. If we cut Pratt, they are going to need to either draft or spend in free agency.

(01-16-2025, 11:33 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: They arent going to cut all of Hubbard, Rankins, Cappa, Pratt, Stone, Moss. A couple of them? Sure, and they need to do that.

People want to scream and yell "cut him and him, save on cap money!"....but you have to replace these people. If we cut Stone and Pratt, who is going to play safety and LB next year? Are we comfy just giving the job to Battle? Do we draft someone? Sign someone?

Same with Pratt. If we cut Pratt, they are going to need to either draft or spend in free agency.

(01-16-2025, 11:48 AM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Stone is probably worth seeing what the next DC can do with. He was good in Mike Macdonald’s system. He’s also still pretty young at only 25.

Pratt is also likely back. The rest can go.

(01-16-2025, 12:08 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: I'd say Rankins and Cappa are givens, or should be. Moss is perfectly fine, but $5 mil for a backup RB makes no sense. 

That leaves Hubbard, Stone, and Pratt. 

For me, Tee & trenches are my FA priorities, along with a Burrow max restructure (+$19 mil cap) and Chase extension. 

The offense will never be elite with the IOL a seive. There are a bunch of quality RGs on the market. LG is mostly just Jenkins,,but the top 2 draft guards are LGs (Jackson, Booker). 

We need 1 high level FA on each line. And at least 1 mid level guy somewhere going into the draft. And 1-3 more in the draft. 2 guards (starters), 2-3 DTs (at least 1 starter if not 2), and 1-2 DEs (starter + rotation). 

Pratt & Stone were poor this year. But have good seasons on their resumes. But not horrid. Unless the draft breaks right for us (Walker, Campbell, Starks, Watts, etc) I doubt we cut those guys. 

Or, if we whiff on trenches types in FA and need to spend more draftccapital there, then we could go FA shopping at LB & S.