May 24—After watching the Cincinnati Bengals invest heavily into improving the defense this offseason, Myles Murphy knew his fifth-year option might fall low on the list of priorities.
A big jump in production last season set him up for a big “prove-it” year, though, and he’s focused on building on those performances to earn his next contract.
The Bengals made the decision earlier this month not to pick up Murphy’s fifth-year option for 2027, making this season the last guaranteed on his rookie contract. Murphy said he wasn’t hurt by the decision, and he’s just ready to show last year was no fluke.
“I knew it was a possibility,” Murphy said. “Duke (Tobin) and everyone upstairs, they’ve been pretty transparent on ‘we spent a lot of money this offseason.’ So, it does make sense. We talk. No hard feelings. We talk about everything, so really, just doing my job right now, getting ready for the upcoming season, trying to be in the best shape I can be, the best teammate I can be.”
Murphy, the team’s 2023 first-round draft pick, said the Bengals have expressed the desire to keep him long-term, but he’s leaving that to his agent.
If he puts the work in and continues to show his worth, a new contract will take care of itself, he said. Being in a contract year doesn’t change how he approaches the season, but Murphy felt good about how he ended 2025, recording three of his 5.5 sacks in the final four games as the Bengals went 2-2.
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Murphy had gone all of 2024 without a sack after recording three of them as a rookie. Although it was tough not to see personal reward after a better 2025, he understood and appreciated the organization’s transparency.
“What happens in the business world or off the field, you cannot let that affect you,” Murphy said. “You won’t be at your best when it comes time to play football. So, I think at the end of the day, fifth year or not, extension or not, I’ve got to be at my best regardless.”
Murphy was excited by the moves the Bengals made to improve the defense, even if it impacted him financially.
The Bengals made some strides at the end of the year on defense, allowing 24 points or less in the final four games and producing five turnovers in that stretch, and that gave returning players something to build on in the offseason. The new additions of defensive tackles Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen, edge rusher Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook especially brought up the energy level.
“I think it motivates us as a team in general, because, I mean, it shows that they (the front office) want it just as bad as us,” Murphy said. “So, you know, them adding those key pieces and knowing what we already have and knowing what we need can help us as a team, as a unit. It’s very motivating. And I don’t need to do anything but be the best player I can be because I know the history with Dex (Lawrence), Jonathan Allen, BJ (Hill), Boye (Mafe) and all the old guys, like I know they’re going to be at their best, so it just makes me want to be at my best.”
Murphy said he had a good offseason, implementing the changes he had made the year before that seemed to make a difference in his performance in 2025. He made some “slight adjustments” but otherwise tried to stick with the same routine.
The biggest thing he did last offseason was leveling out his workouts so he had a lighter but more consistent workload, but it also helped staying off social media, Murphy said, after receiving “a lot of negative comments” his first two years. Mentally, that helped him because he was able to just enjoy the city and personal interactions with fans who were more encouraging in person than online.
With the mental side taken care of, Murphy could focus more on physically preparing the best way possible. He’s hopeful that will pay big dividends again this year.
“Early in my career, I was very heavy, heavy, heavy work, almost too much,” Murphy said. “It was like three workouts one day and then like one workout the next day, so, it’s really just like evening it out so it just made more sense.”
“It’s been really good, actually, just kind of going off of last offseason, the adjustments that I made from last offseason, and really just going into this one making some slight adjustments. I’m ready to go.”