CINCINNATI — The Bengals have declined the fifth-year option on defensive end Myles Murphy‘s rookie contract, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Thursday.
The decision comes one day before the deadline for teams to exercise the fifth-year option for first-round draft picks in 2023. Had the Bengals picked up the option, they would have been on the hook for an estimated $14.5 million for the 2027 season, according to OverTheCap.com.
However, this decision doesn’t mean that the Bengals want to move on from Murphy, who is coming off his best season to date. In 2025, he had 5.5 sacks and was a bright spot on a defense that struggled.
“He’s a 24-year-old guy that’s just starting to scratch the surface,” Bengals de facto general manager Duke Tobin said earlier this week. “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.”
Declining the fifth-year option gives the Bengals more flexibility to negotiate with Murphy on a long-term deal. Though the option gave the Bengals a cost-controlled year, Murphy’s salary for 2027 would have been fully guaranteed.
And after the recent trade for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II, Cincinnati isn’t working with as much future salary cap space as usual. The team was aggressive in acquiring Lawrence for the 10th pick in this year’s draft.
Before the decision to decline Murphy’s option was reported, Tobin indicated that any action on his rookie contract would be taken through a fiscal lens.
“It will primarily be a financial decision one way or the other,” Tobin said. “He’s a guy we are counting on not only this year, [but] we would like a long-term relationship with him.”
If the Bengals and Murphy do not iron out a deal before the start of next offseason, he will become an unrestricted free agent. Outside of that, Cincinnati could choose to retain his rights by using the franchise or transition tag.
The Bengals, who have missed the playoffs for the past three seasons, have spent significant draft capital on edge rushers. Cincinnati has recently picked two former Texas A&M edge rushers at the top of the draft — Shemar Stewart (first round, 2025) and Cashius Howell (second round, 2026).
