Bengals Sign DT Geno Atkins To Extension

The Bengals have signed defensive tackle Geno Atkins to a four-year extension, according to his agency. The new pact is worth $65.3M, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

The 30-year-old is among the best players on the Bengals’ defense, so the deal was a high priority for the front office. The club’s recent release of safety George Iloka likely freed up the room necessary to make the deal happen.

Atkins will receive $25.5MM in the first year of the new deal and more than half of the contract ($37.5MM) will be paid in the first two years. His $16.3MM yearly average is highest yearly average ever obtained by a 30+ year old non-quarterback in NFL history.

The defensive tackle inked a five-year, $53.3MM extension with the Bengals back in 2013, which meant that his deal was set to expire after the 2018 season. That contract proved to be a winner for both sides. For the Bengals, the deal allowed them to keep a top performer under contract at roughly $10.6MM per year while the market advanced at a sharp rate. Atkins, meanwhile, made more cash than he could ever hope to spend. And, since he’s still in the prime of his career, he was able to do it all again.

Atkins finished out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 ranked interior defender last year, putting him behind only Aaron Donald of the Rams. Like Donald, Atkins is a stout run defender with the ability to also disrupt opposing quarterbacks from the interior. Atkins has notched at least nine sacks in each of the last three seasons, and, save for the 2013 season cut short by an ACL tear, he has never missed a game. Donald is still three years younger and in a class of his own, but Atkins has been far more dominant than many outside of Cincinnati realize.