Geno Stone Confirms Bengals Future Ahead of 2026 NFL Free Agency

CINCINNATI — The Geno Stone era is over in Cincinnati.

The Bengals' safety is about to be a free agent, and he commented on Instagram Wednesday night that he will not be coming back to play a third season for Cincinnati.

Stone was one of the poorest performers on the team over the past two years. He posted 53.1 and 54.3 Pro Football Focus grades in 2024 and 2025 in Cincinnati, failing to make the turnover impact he mustered in Baltimore to start his career.

Stone missed a team-high 23 tackles this past season and was second behind Germaine Pratt in 2024 with 17 missed tackles. Add in a 110.4 NFL passer rating allowed in his coverage area this season (16 points higher than in 2024), and you get a spot Cincinnati could upgrade through free agency or the draft.

"It comes down to certain situations where people aren't in the right spot, and that's what it came down to," Stone said at his locker after the Bengals loss to the Steelers on Nov. 16. "But I think overall, we played better. I'll say that we played better. I mean, definitely still got to tackle better, myself included, but we definitely played better."

Dec 14, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) catches a pass for a touchdown in the first half against Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone (22) at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

There will be a new starting safety alongside Jordan Battle, possibly as soon as next week.

Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin discussed the position at the 2026 NFL Combine.

"It’s the who, the what, the fit, how they’re playing, what they’re asked to do, all those kinds of things have to come together and fit together," Tobin said. "And sometimes they might have had more success doing something different. I’m not going to say that anybody was the cause of our defensive fall this year. I’m not going to call out any of our players on that. The group has to play better as a whole. What we like in safeties is what everyone likes in safeties. You want guys who are instinctive, that see the big picture."

Check out the full comment from Stone below:

Geno Stone not being a Cincinnati Bengal in 2026 is an addition to the defense💀 pic.twitter.com/Z1IjvY2oWJ
— Bengals Central (@BengalsCentral_) March 4, 2026

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