The Cincinnati Bengals have signed both the players, Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap to new extension contracts on Tuesday, which now secures the team’s defensive line for the next few years. Atkins has signed a 4-year, $65.3 million deal, which has the sum of $25.5 million coming in for him in the first year itself and over half of the contract in the first two years, as per Adam Schefter of ESPN. The defensive tackle will be averaging the sum of $16.3 million each year, which is a record yearly average when it comes to a non-quarterback who is older than 30 years.
On the other hand, the 29-year-old Dunlap has signed a 3-year extension contract worth $45 million, as per Schefter. This will keep Dunlap under the deal through the age of 31 years.
“Back to back,” Dunlap went on to write on social media, while also tagging Atkins.
In the franchise sacks, Dunlap is No. 1 while Atkins is No. 2 respectively. Both have combined sacks of 125½ between them. The Bengals have not kept it a secret that getting these contracts signed with both these players was very significant in the offseason and doing this was possible as most of the other defensive line players being on rookie contracts.
The only exception is Michael Johnson, who is currently in the final year of a 4-year deal which he had signed in the year 2015 which will pay him a salary of $5 million in the form of bonuses this year. Johnson had played on the Bengals’ tag for a year before he signed a deal with the Buccaneers; however, he came back to the Bengals after playing for just one season in Tampa. Both Dunlap and Atkins are now known as important pieces on the defensive end of the ball as they were taken in the 2nd and 4th round of the NFL draft of 2010.
