Cincinnati Bengals Marquee Free Agent Deal Ranked Among NFL's 10 Best 2026 Signings

CINCINNATI — ESPN's Seth Walder didn't give many "A-" grades or better for NFL signings in the past week, but the Bengals addition of Boye Mafe cracked that group.

He loved the three-year, $60 million deal Cincinnati landed with the former Seahawk, ranking it as the 10th-best contract hammered out during 2026 free agency.

"With Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai walking out the door, the Bengals badly needed some pass-rush help," 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 show the sacks can follow the underlying metrics (as they did in 2023, when he had 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. 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."

A Big Addition

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) is pressured by Seattle Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) in the first half in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Mafe could be shot out of a cannon this fall when it comes to opportunities in Al Golden's defense. He should get a starting-level snap diet to sink his teeth into for the first time since 2023.

He's been around 600-630 snaps the past two seasons, but posted nine sacks and a career-high 58 quarterback pressures when playing 808 snaps in 2023.

The 27-year-old has all the makings for a breakout season if he can stay healthy and tap back into that 2023 stamina.

Check out the full ranking from Walder here.

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