Extension signed, Bengals LB Logan Wilson hopes team can keep other key players around
The Bengals have several important young players who are eligible for second contracts. Linebacker Logan Wilson, a third-round pick three years ago, has gotten his.
He now hopes it will allow the team to keep others around, too.
"I still think that this contract allows them to get those things done with guys, and hopefully we're able to keep them long-term as well," Wilson told reporters on Sunday, via Ben Baby of ESPN.com.
Wilson signed on Saturday a four-year extension, reportedly worth $37.25 million. He was entering the final season of his rookie deal.
Now, the Bengals can continue to work on securing the futures of quarterback Joe Burrow and receiver Tee Higgins, while also preparing for next year, when receiver Ja'Marr Chase will be eligible for a new deal of his own.
Wilson is as important to the defense as Burrow, Higgins, and Chase are to the offense. As explained by Baby, coach Zac Taylor recalled on Sunday the tense moments as the Bengals hoped for their chance to pick Wilson during the COVID draft of 2020.
"He's one of those draft experiences that I have, where we really crossed our fingers for every single pick that came off the board, hoping and praying that he'd still be available," Taylor said. "Fortunately, he was."
Wilson will now be around as the Bengals pursue the first Super Bowl win in franchise history.
"We are all rooting for each other," Wilson said. "That's also rare, because sometimes guys are just trying to get theirs. The whole team camaraderie we have is just rare and that's another reason I wanted to be a part of it."
The Bengals are in the rare spot of being a short-list championship contender. It won't be easy to get there, not with plenty of great teams in the AFC — and three other strong franchises in the AFC North.
