Report: Germaine Pratt asks Bengals to trade him

The early focus of the Bengals offseason has been on whether they will be signing players like Ja’Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson, and Tee Higgins to new contracts, but it looks like there’s another issue for them to sort out.

NFL Media reports that linebacker Germaine Pratt has requested a trade out of Cincinnati. Pratt is heading into the final year of his contract and is set to make a base salary of $5.25 million in 2025.

Pratt had 143 tackles, two interceptions, six passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries during the 2024 season. He has been a fixture in Cincinnati’s defense since being taken in the third round of the 2019 draft, but the team is moving in a different direction defensively this season after firing Lou Anarumo and hiring Al Golden as their defensive coordinator.

Trading Pratt would free up $5.85 million, which might be appealing given the other contractual issues that they’re trying to sort out over the coming months.