Bengals Not Exercising DE Myles Murphy’s Fifth-Year Option

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports the Bengals are not exercising DE Myles Murphy‘s fifth-year option for 2027.

Fowler adds the Bengals still have interest in retaining Murphy long term. Per Over The Cap, Murphy’s fifth-year option was projected to cost $14,475,000 for 2027.

Murphy, 24, was a first-round pick to the Bengals in 2023 out of Clemson. He’s entering the final year of a four-year, $12.587 million rookie contract with a base salary of $2.47 million.

In 2025, Murphy appeared in all 17 games for the Bengals and recorded 52 total tackles, six tackles for loss, three passes defended, one fumble recovered and 5.5 sacks.