The Cincinnati Bengals have had no shortage of contract situations turn adversarial in recent years. With how long it took receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to land extensions, it feels like a miracle that quarterback Joe Burrow committed himself to Cincinnati.
The Bengals’ contractual procrastination now resides on defense, where edge rusher Trey Hendrickson is yet to reach a new deal. First-round edge rusher Shemar Stewart is currently holding out, too.
Needless to say, some of the Bengals' own aren’t happy with their current circumstances. That extends to linebacker Germaine Pratt, too, who requested a trade shortly after the season.
Pro Football Focus urged the Indianapolis Colts to trade for the disgruntled Bengals defender, helping Cincinnati alleviate one of its remaining offseason concerns.
“Outside of Zaire Franklin, the Colts have very little starting experience in their linebacking corps,” Mason Cameron wrote. “New defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo could target the captain of his former defense in Cincinnati, Germaine Pratt.
“The veteran linebacker is technically still under contract, but the writing is on the wall that he will be cut or traded this summer. The price to trade for Pratt would likely be minimal, or the Colts could take their chances following his release. While Pratt’s modest grading profile (60.5 PFF overall grade in 2024) doesn’t excite, his knowledge of Anarumo’s scheme should.”
If Pratt is indeed on his way out, the Bengals might as well get something for him. Any trade or cut would save Cincinnati $5.85 million with a $2.3 million dead cap charge, per Over the Cap. Perhaps more importantly, Cincinnati has his replacements in the building.
Linebacker Logan Wilson is a quality starter, and the team insulated the unit with Oren Burks in free agency and Demetrius Knight Jr. in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. As Cameron notes, the writing is on the wall, and an expensive, veteran roster could use additional draft capital to further replenish a poor defense.
The fit with Anarumo makes sense, although Pratt struggled in 2024. If the defensive coordinator believes in a rebound (or is planning to play him primarily on early downs) a move to Indianapolis could become the most likely landing spot for the linebacker.