DJ Turner II may be headed for a bigger payday down the road, but ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler doesn’t see the Bengals getting a contract extension done before Week 1.
Turner, a 2023 second-round pick, is in the final year of his rookie deal, and the talks around a new contract have been quiet. Fowler said there is “virtually no chance” the sides get something finished before next Sunday’s season opener against Tampa Bay.
“Turner is an underrated cover man out of the AFC North,” Fowler noted. “But this deal has virtually no chance to get done before Week 1, barring a massive and unexpected uptick. It isn't close, and Turner is poised to play out his rookie deal.
“If Cincinnati follows its own blueprint, it will franchise-tag Turner as it did with another star defensive back, Jessie Bates III, in 2022. Bates had to play on the tag before reaching a four-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency.
Turner will be in line for a large payday in free agency, if he reaches it. But the franchise tag is a real possibility here.”
The market at cornerback already climbed again this week, with the Seahawks giving Devon Witherspoon a position-high $33 million per year on average. The franchise tag for corners was just over $21 million for one season this year, and it is expected to rise closer to $25 million next season.
Turner’s stock has been rising over the last two seasons after a rough beginning to his career, and he’s now being viewed as a breakout Pro Bowl candidate for this season under the updated rules for that now-disbanded game. His new No. 0 jersey also reflects that climb.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor addressed the number change earlier this offseason.
“I think he has earned it,” Taylor said about his top cornerback. “I wouldn’t have done this for just anybody.
I was open to the possibility because I think DJ represents a lot of the things we take great pride in. I did apologize to Jessie Bates because Jessie had always wanted No. 3 and I would always hold off.
DJ’s quote to me was ‘Jessie walked so I could run.’ I wasn’t ready to crack with Jessie, but over time (DJ) wore me down.”
Turner is coming off a season in which he finished tied for third in the NFL with 18 pass breakups, and he’ll spend this fall trying to keep forcing the Bengals into a tough decision on his future.
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