Bengals Receive Mostly Strong Grades For Boye Mafe Deal

CINCINNATI — The Bengals added two marquee defensive free agents on Monday in edge rusher Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook.

Grades are flowing out for both three-year deals as Cincinnati gets high marks for addressing its league-worst defense head-on in free agency.

Check out the major grades that have come in for Mafe's three-year, $60 million deal below:

Sports Illustrated: D

"As the Bengals prepare for the possibility of losing Trey Hendrickson, they made a move to bolster their depth at edge rusher," Gilberto Manzano wrote. "Mafe is headed to Cincinnati after agreeing to terms on a three-year, $60 million deal. While Mafe was a contributor on the Seahawks’ championship defense, paying $20 million on an annual basis for an inconsistent edge rusher was a steep price for the Bengals, who need a lot more to turn around one of the worst units in the league. Mafe was placed on the trading block ahead of last year’s deadline after playing only 50% of the defensive snaps in 2025. Mafe, a 2022 second-round pick, produced 20 sacks in 34 starts during his four years in Seattle."

ESPN: A-

"With Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai walking out the door, the Bengals badly needed some pass-rush help," Seth Walder wrote. "They got it in the form of Mafe, probably my favorite edge rusher in this year's free agent class. Mafe has always been something of a win-rate darling. On a new team with more playing time, he has a chance to demonstrate that sacks can follow the underlying metrics (as they did in 2023, when he recorded nine sacks). Though Mafe was more of a rotational player last season than he has been in the past -- he started only four games and played only 50% of the snaps -- his pass rush win rate at edge ranked in the 86th percentile. It was not a fluke; he was in the 67th percentile in his breakout 2023 season.

"And he does more than rush the passer. He's a plus-defender against the run, too, finishing in the 80th percentile in run stop win rate at the edge. At $20 million per year, Mafe is coming in well behind Jaelan Phillips and Odafe Oweh, who agreed to deals for $30 million and $25 million per year, respectively, earlier Monday. And yet if you told me a year from now that Mafe had the best year of the three, I would hardly be surprised. I think Mafe will go a long way to helping the Bengals get their defense back on track ... and on a decent contract, too."

Oct 12, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA;Seattle Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) runs off the field during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

The Athletic: B-

"This is partially a potential-based signing as Cincinnati awards Mafe a deal that will pay him $20 million per season on average, although he has served as a rotational player and is coming off a two-sack, 31-tackle season. Mafe has shown he’s capable of more, recording nine sacks, 52 tackles, and 16 quarterback hits as a full-time starter in 2023. The Bengals are counting on similar production as they try to replace Trey Hendrickson," Mike Jones wrote.

Pro Football Focus: Very Good

"The Bengals make their second addition of the tampering period's first day, and it's another strong move to boost their defense. Mafe has earned a PFF overall grade above 70.0 and produced 40 or more pressures in each of the past three seasons. Given that Trey Hendrickson is unlikely to return to Cincinnati, this was a shrewd move at a reasonable price, all things considered," the site stated.

Check out our grade on the deal here.

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