Shock was in great supply when the Cincinnati Bengals signed Orlando Brown Jr. to a four-year, $64 million contract during the third day of free agency back in 2023. The Bengals were not viewed as a match for what Brown was looking for on the market that year, but when Brown figured out he wasn't going to get what he was after, a call to Cincinnati paved the way for a new partnership.
That was just under two years ago and Brown has been worth every penny since. The Bengals especially recognized his value last year when he missed several games due to a knee injury in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career.
When Brown returns to full health for the 2025 season, his cap hit for the year is $15,034,000 and Cincinnati will be paying him just $7,523,000 in cash.
Compared to what lesser left tackles have been able to secure after just one day of free agency this year, that looks like a clear bargain.
Orlando Brown Jr.'s contract looks even better for the Bengals right now
Brown's $16 million average annual value was already considered a value for the Bengals when he put pen-to-paper 24 months ago. That's only been emphasized following a couple of head-turning deals made by other AFC clubs Monday.
It started when the Kansas City Chiefs agreed to give former San Francisco 49ers backup left tackle Jaylon Moore two years, $30 million to be their new blindside protector for Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs, who originally allowed Brown to walk in 2023, were expected to be players in the left tackle market, but this deal came as a surprise and a risk. Now they're paying Moore around the same money as Brown is making.
Moore set a floor that Dan Moore Jr. would easily eclipse not long after when he agreed to terms on a four-year, $82 million deal with the Tennessee Titans. The former Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle was going to have a stronger market compared to the other Moore with less experience, but the consensus from Pittsburgh is he won't be sorely missed now that he's gone.
Moore Jr. becomes the sixth-highest paid left tackle in the NFL with an AAV of $20.5 million, and that figure is still higher than what Brown's inflated AAV would be relative to this year's salary cap ($19,900,452).
There are now 14 left tackles with higher AAVs than Brown. There were not 14 left tackles who played better than Brown in 2024.
As far as value goes, Brown's deal might be the best on the Bengals currently. That will continue to be the case especially after Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase sign their extensions.
There's still plenty of work to be done to the Bengals' roster, but left tackle? That's taken care of and then some thanks to the steal they got two years ago in Brown.
