Cincinnati Bengals to release team captain LB Germaine Pratt, per report

The Cincinnati Bengals will release veteran linebacker and team captain Germaine Pratt, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports, ahead of what would have been his seventh season with the franchise. The stalwart defender was a centerpiece of the Bengals defense since the start of his professional career in 2019 and last season ranked among the league’s top 10 tacklers with his 143 stops. Pratt requested a trade in February, but the Bengals instead held onto the 29-year-old for much of the offseason and will not receive a return package.

Pratt was set to enter the final season of his three-year contract in 2025. He inked the deal, worth more than $20 million, in 2023. In releasing Pratt, the Bengals will incur $2.3 million in dead money against the salary cap. He was set to earn a $5.25 million salary for the 2025 season.

The Bengals defense was a top-10 unit overall in Pratt’s career year, as it ranked seventh in points allowed and eighth in yardage. It was an up-and-down campaign for the unit, though, as it struggled to contain some of the best offenses it faced and surrendered at least 30 points to each of the Steelers, Chargers, Ravens, Eagles and Commanders. Despite its solid overall numbers, Cincinnati was one of the most porous defenses on a per-drive basis. The group moves forward next season without one of its most experienced and longest tenured players.

Pratt was a mainstay in the Bengals’ lineup and started every game for which he was available across the last four years. His tackle production increased on a perennial basis since his arrival in the league in 2019 and maxed out last year when he logged 143 total stops, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, six pass breakups and a pair of interceptions. It was the second straight year in which Pratt crossed the century mark in the tackle department.

One of Pratt’s biggest plays came in the 2021 playoffs when he put the wild card game against the Raiders on ice with an interception. The takeaway helped the Bengals secure their first postseason win in 31 years.

Cincinnati scooped up Pratt in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The NC State product and former first-team All-ACC selection was the No. 72 overall pick. Next season will mark his first away from the team that drafted him.