Bengals Extend C Ted Karras

11:52am: Karras will receive an average of $6.6MM per year across 2024 and ’25, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. That represents a raise to go along with an added year of security in his current home. When speaking about the deal, Karras confirmed (via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer) he hopes to finish out his career as a Bengal. He will at least play out a fourth campaign with the team by finishing this new pact.

8:46am: Ted Karras landed the most lucrative deal of his career in 2022 when he joined the Bengals, and he will be remaining in Cincinnati for at least the next two years. The veteran center signed a one-year extension on Thursday, per a team announcement.

As a result of the deal, Karras is now under contract through 2025. The 31-year-old has served as Cincinnati’s full-time center starter since his arrival, something which was a key part of the team’s re-tooling along the offensive line. Karras signed a three-year, $18MM deal following his second Patriots stint. The $6MM AAV of the pact was double that of his next largest contract, leading to high expectations.

In both of his Bengals campaigns to date, the former sixth-rounder has graded out as PFF’s 15th-best center. That falls squarely in line with his evaluations in past seasons, making it little surprise Cincinnati has elected to add a new year to his contract. None of Karras’ $5.8MM base salary for 2024 was guaranteed as things stood, and he was set to count $7.4MM against the cap. It will be interesting to see how much those figures change as a result of this extension.

Cincinnati has taken the free agent route to address the O-line in recent years, with Karras being joined by the likes of right guard Alex Cappa (signed in 2022) and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (2023) as big-money additions. Cappa has two more years on his deal, and Brown has three. That veteran trio will thus remain intact for the foreseeable future as the team – at least potentially – relies on a pair of players attached to rookie pacts to round out the starting alignment up front.

Cordell Volson has served as a full-time left guard starter during his two years in the NFL, and 2024 first-rounder Amarius Mims could take on a first-team role right away at the right tackle spot vacated in free agency by Jonah Williams. The Georgia product played sparingly in college, though, so another experienced signing (Trent Brown) could wind up logging RT starts in 2024.

Regardless of how that situation shakes out, Karras will be in place for another two years. Consistent play in the middle of the line should therefore be expected as the Bengals aim to continue improving up front.