By all accounts, this past Cincinnati Bengals season was a massive success. Yes, the end to their season was a disappointing one, but they still found themselves in the Super Bowl. Now, the Cincinnati Bengals free agency is one everybody is looking at, since they have money and could be considered an ideal destination for many.
Below, we will look at the Bengals’ cap space to see how much they have to spend. However, teams can now manipulate the cap to sign nearly any player they would like. We will also go over other Cincinnati Bengals free agency information, including their own 2022 free agents and define what each type of free agent is.
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Cincinnati Bengals Cap Space | NFL Free Agency
As of March 10th, the Cincinnati Bengals cap space ranks near the top of the NFL. They have roughly $34.6 million in cap space. This will make it easier to re-sign the Cincinnati Bengals free agents they want. Considering they are coming off a Super Bowl run, the combination of talent and money available makes this an incredibly interesting destination for free agents this offseason.
Cincinnati Bengals Free Agents 2022
The following are the 2022 Cincinnati Bengals free agents as of March 10th.
| Player | Pos | 2022 Team | Type | Snaps |
| Quinton Spain | LG | UFA | 90.60% | |
| Eli Apple | CB | UFA | 87.20% | |
| Jessie Bates III | S | Bengals | Franchise | 84.90% |
| C.J. Uzomah | TE | UFA | 73.00% | |
| Riley Reiff | RT | UFA | 64.70% | |
| Larry Ogunjobi | IDL | UFA | 64.50% | |
| B.J. Hill | IDL | UFA | 44.70% | |
| Josh Tupou | IDL | UFA | 36.50% | |
| Vernon Hargreaves | CB | UFA | 34.10% | |
| Tre Flowers | CB | UFA | 32.40% | |
| Kevin Huber | P | UFA | 29.60% | |
| Clark Harris | LS | UFA | 29.60% | |
| Wyatt Ray | LB | ERFA | 19.50% | |
| Ricardo Allen | S | UFA | 15.20% | |
| Joe Bachie | LB | ERFA | 14.20% | |
| Mike Thomas | WR | UFA | 12.90% | |
| Stanley Morgan | WR | RFA | 12.30% | |
| Xavier Su’a-Filo | RG | SFA | 11.30% | |
| Auden Tate | WR | UFA | 10.50% | |
| Clay Johnston | LB | Bengals | Signed | 10.00% |
| Zach Kerr | IDL | UFA | 9.30% | |
| Brandon Allen | QB | UFA | 8.40% | |
| Fred Johnson | RG | RFA | 8.20% | |
| Darius Phillips | CB | UFA | 8.00% | |
| Michael Thomas | S | UFA | 7.80% | |
| Mitchell Wilcox | TE | ERFA | 7.60% | |
| Trenton Irwin | WR | ERFA | 7.50% | |
| Jalen Davis | CB | Bengals | Signed | 5.00% |
| Elliott Fry | K | SFA | 5.00% | |
| Jordan Evans | LB | UFA | 3.90% | |
| Mason Schreck | TE | SFA | 0.00% | |
| Thaddeus Moss | TE | Bengals | Signed | 0.00% |
Defining the Type of NFL Free Agents
Unrestricted Free Agents
An unrestricted free agent (UFA) can freely talk to or sign with any team after the start of the new league year. Any player with four or more accrued seasons in the NFL can be a UFA.
The net loss and gain of UFAs for a team are used to calculate the next season’s compensatory draft picks, but no other compensation is available to a team that sees a player leave as a UFA.
Restricted Free Agents
A player must have three accrued NFL seasons to be a restricted free agent (RFA). Before the new league year begins, a team can place one of three tenders on a restricted free agent (first, second or original-round tender). Essentially, this gives the player the option to return to the team on a one-year deal.
The RFA is allowed to seek deals with other teams, but the tendering team (original team) has the opportunity to match the offer and keep them. If the tendering team doesn’t match the offer, the signing team may need to give a draft pick according to the level of tender used on the player.
Exclusive-Rights Free Agents
Exclusive-rights free agency (ERFA) is only eligible to players who have two or fewer NFL seasons accrued. Teams can use an ERFA tender to any of these players before the start of the new league year, and it stops the player from negotiating contracts with other teams. The player can sign the tender, which is a one-year deal at their position’s minimum salary, or they can negotiate for a longer extension.
Finally, RFAs or ERFAs who do not receive a tender before the league year begins become “street free agents.” Street free agents have the same rights as UFAs, but they are not counted in the compensatory pick formula.
