The Bengals have released linebacker Germaine Pratt. He even got the perfunctory “thank you for everything” social-media post.
Pratt has every right to be thinking, “Tanks are a nuttin.”
He asked to be traded on February 12. The Bengals instead squatted on his contract for months, neither trading him nor cutting him.
Releasing Pratt now makes it harder for him to find a suitable landing spot for 2025. It makes it harder for him to replace the $5.25 million he was due to make this year in Cincinnati.
It’s another example of the one-way nature of NFL contracts. The team can tear it up whenever the team wants. The player is stuck.
And the team can wait to cut the player until the player is screwed. It’s all the more reason for players to argue for the inclusion of roster bonuses or guarantees early in the league year. It forces the team to make a decision, and it allows the player who is released to get to the market before cash has been spent and roster spots have been claimed.
For Pratt, the most obvious potential destination is Indianapolis, where former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anuramo now runs the defense. Still, he would have had more options (and likely would have made more money) if the Bengals had cut him in March.
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