There were two defensive players who requested trades out of Cincinnati this offseason, and one them won’t be with the team moving forward, as the Bengals are releasing Germaine Pratt, NFL Media reported Monday.
Pratt and Trey Hendrickson have both been the subject of trade speculation this year, although Pratt’s situation certainly hasn’t generated as many headlines. The Bengals linebacker, who led the team in tackles in 2024, requested a trade back in February, but the request didn’t go anywhere.
The Bengals defense struggled for almost all of the 2024 season, but Pratt was one of the few bright spots, totaling 143 tackles, which was tied for the 10th most in the NFL. The 29-year-old had been a starter for the Bengals since his rookie year in 2019, but now, the team will be moving on, and it looks like it’ll be handing Pratt’s job to a rookie.
How Bengals will replace Pratt
The Bengals hired a new defensive coordinator this year in Al Golden, and during the team’s first draft with Golden on the coaching staff, it became pretty clear it was likely going to move on from Pratt. The Bengals had six picks in the 2025 NFL Draft and used TWO of those picks on linebackers. The first one came when they selected South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight Jr. with the 49th overall pick. The Bengals then grabbed another linebacker in the fourth round when they selected Clemson’s Barrett Carter at 119th overall.
After Knight was drafted. Golden was specifically asked how important it was to get a linebacker on the roster due to the “uncertainty” surrounding Pratt’s future.
“Yeah, critical,” Golden said after the draft, via the Bengals’ official website. “Really critical that we have depth there and have some guys that can come in and compete for some starting roles with the guys that are here already, and have competition.”
The Bengals are high on Knight, and with mandatory minicamp starting on Tuesday, it’s almost a lock that he’ll be given the first opportunity to take over Pratt’s spot at linebacker.
Knight used to deliver for DoorDash while he was in college, and now, the Bengals will be hoping he can deliver for them.
As for Pratt, he’ll be exiting Cincinnati after 88 starts over seven seasons. Pratt pulled off one of the most memorable plays in recent Bengals history when he picked off Derek Carr on a fourth-and-goal play in the final seconds of the fourth quarter during the Bengals’ 26-20 wild-card playoff win over the Las Vegas Raiders in January 2022. The interception sealed the Bengals’ first postseason win in 31 years and helped propel their run to Super Bowl LVI.
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Salary cap ramifications: How Trey Hendrickson could benefit
The Bengals currently have just over $27 million salary cap space, and that number is going to go up after the release of Pratt is processed. The Bengals will take a $2.33 million dead cap hit, but more importantly, the move will allow them to free up $5.6 million in cap space, according to NFL Media.
The fact that the Bengals are freeing up money on the cap could be good news for Hendrickson. The Bengals are currently in a stalemate with their star pass-rusher. Hendrickson, who led the NFL in sacks last season with 17.5, requested a trade out of Cincinnati this offseason, but so far, nothing has transpired.
Hendrickson has said that his preference is to stay with the Bengals, but he wants a new contract. The 30-year-old is headed into the final year of his deal, and his base salary is scheduled to be just $15.8 million in 2025, which is WAY under what the best pass-rushers are making. Myles Garrett is currently the highest-paid pass-rusher in the NFL after signing an extension in March that will pay him $40 million per year.
Hendrickson has said that he’s not going to play under the terms of his current deal, so either the Bengals are going to have to work out a new contract with him or he might end up sitting out games.
With Pratt’s release, the Bengals will now pick up some cap savings that they could potentially add into a contract offer for Hendrickson.
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Author: John Breech
June 9, 2025 | 2:30 pm
