Bengals attempt to get out in front of next contract extension hurdle

The Cincinnati Bengals are a franchise that can’t afford to let big contract extension squabbles run up to deadlines.

Look at how things went with Trey Hendrickson for years. Or how talks with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins stalled pretty much every other meaningful operation around the team while they attempted to figure that out.

In the spirit of preventing more silly self-inflicted wounds like those, the Bengals have already told cornerbacks Dax Hill and DJ Turner that they intend to talk extensions this summer.

Here’s Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer:

“It’s not uncommon that negotiations haven’t started as they typically heat up closer to the start of training camp. However, it’s noteworthy that the Bengals have already done their due diligence in making sure Hill and Turner know the franchise is planning to give them new deals.”

Which sounds good on the part of the Bengals.

But it might not be that simple.

Turner morphed into one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL last year. He’s only 25 and has one year left on his contract. He and his reps could always want to gamble that he keeps ascending and possibly test a market in a year’s time if he isn’t tagged, especially if the Bengals aren’t playing ball with big numbers.

Hill’s position isn’t as flexible, in part because the coaches keep messing around with his position, literally. He finally settled on boundary reps last year and looked great. He’s got one year left on his deal and might want to keep proving himself, given the differences in money between outside cornerbacks and other members of the secondary.

Getting these deals done might not be nearly as simple as it all sounds right now. But the Bengals, at least, have started to get out in front of these after seemingly finding two starters at premium positions.

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals attempt to get out in front of next contract extension hurdle