The Cincinnati Bengals have made a decision on a former Clemson star and first-round NFL Draft pick.
On Thursday, the Bengals chose not to pick up their fifth-year option on edge rusher Myles Murphy.
However, Cincinnati is reportedly still interested in keeping Murphy around for the long haul.
According to the Bengals’ official website, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin “indicated in his post-draft news conference earlier this week that Murphy’s case is about salary cap flexibility more than anything else,” and “the team views Murphy’s career trajectory rising after last year’s breakout season saw him lead the team in sacks with 5.5.”
“He’s a 24-year-old guy that’s just starting to scratch the surface,” Tobin said, via Bengals.com. “I was pleased with his progression last year and how he took ownership of the starting role and how he grew throughout the season. By the end of the year, he was a problem for teams. He’s a guy that we believe in. He’s going to be a big part of what Al [defensive coordinator Al Golden] and his staff does.”
“The organization believes in Myles and will continue to explore a long-term relationship,” Tobin added.
Friday marks the deadline for NFL teams to pick up fifth-year options on the rookie contracts of 2023 first-round picks. Murphy is set to make $4 million in 2026, his fourth season. Had they exercised the option, he would have been guaranteed $14.475 million for the 2027 season.
Murphy was the 28th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Over his first two seasons with Cincinnati, he was used in a reserve role, appearing in 30 games and recording three sacks, all of which came in his debut season.
Last season, Murphy took a big step forward and started to realize some of his potential. He appeared in all 17 games for the Bengals, with 10 starts, while registering 52 total tackles, six tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, three passes defended and a fumble recovery – career-highs across the board.
The 6-foot-5, 275-pounder tallied more defensive snaps (682) last season than he did over his first two years combined (658). According to Pro Football Focus, he had a career-high 41 pressures and led the Bengals with 31 hurries.
A former blue-chip recruit, Murphy played three seasons at Clemson after signing with the Tigers in December 2019. Durability wasn’t an issue with Murphy, who played in all but one of the Tigers’ 39 games after arriving on campus. He finished his college career with 139 tackles (37 for loss), 17.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and six pass breakups, while earning Freshman All-America honors in 2020, a second-team All-ACC selection in 2021 and first-team All-ACC honors in 2022.