How Much Will Myles Murphy Make on 5th-Year Option and How Often Have Bengals Exercised It?

The Cincinnati Bengals have a decision looming on whether to exercise the fifth-year option on 2023 first-round pick Myles Murphy.

The deadline for the decision is Friday, and Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said during Monday’s news conference the team has yet to reach a decision.

“Now that the draft is up, we will see what kind of cost we can layer in here and what we can and can’t do there,” Tobin said. “It will be a financial decision primarily one way or the other. He’s a guy we are counting on not only this year we would like a long-term relationship with him. I don’t know whether that comes together.”

There are four salary tiers for fifth-year options, which are only available for first-round picks, and each position has its own dollar amounts.

Murphy falls into the lowest tier for edge rushers, which means he will earn $14.5 million in 2027 if the Bengals pick up his fifth-year option.

That would be a 587 percent pay raise for Murphy, but $14.5 million would only rank 30th in annual average salary among edge rushers in 2026.

Boye Mafe, whom the Bengals signed to a three-year, $60 million contract in March, ranks 20th on that list at $20 million per year.

Cincinnati Bengals DE Myles Murphy Coming Off Career Year

Last year Murphy recorded career highs in sacks (5.5), pressures (41) and pressure rate (6.4 percent).

“Myles really came on,” Tobin said. “He got a chance to really stay on the field and play, and that’s when players that are young like him grow. He doubled his playtime last year from the previous year.

“He’s a 24-year-old guy that’s just starting to scratch the surface,” Tobin continued. “I was pleased with his progression last year and how he took ownership of the starting role and how he grew throughout the season. By the end of the year, he was a problem for teams. He’s a guy that we believe in. He’s going to be a big part of what (defensive coordinator Al Golden) and his staff does (in 2026).”

The decision to pick up Murphy’s relatively inexpensive fifth-year option is less about the organization’s belief in him as a player and more about making another salary north of $10 million per year after handing out an addition x of them this offseason.

In addition to Mafe’s $20 million, there are defensive tackles Dexter Lawrence ($22.5) and Jonathan Allen ($12.5M), offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. ($16M) and safety Bryan Cook ($13.4M).

Those are on top of quarterback Joe Burrow ($55 million) and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase ($40.3M) and Tee Higgins ($28.8M).

“We are at the top of the league in spending right now, so we are going to have to make it work, and we’ll see what we do with that,” Tobin said about picking up Murphy’s option. “That will be a decision we make as we dive into this week looking at next year and we’ve got some cap ramifications there with what we’ve done.”

Restructuring Burrow’s contract would be one way to clear room for Murphy.

Should the Bengals pickup Myles Murphy's fifth-year option for 2027? It would cost them $14.475 million.
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) April 28, 2026

Had Murphy made the Pro Bowl in two of his first three seasons, his fifth-year option number would be $24.4 million.

If he had made one Pro Bowl, it would have been $21.5 million.

The third tier is for players who hit one of the following playing time thresholds:

They played at least 75 percent or more of the snaps in two of their first three seasons.

They averaged at least 75 percent or more of the snaps over all three seasons.

They played at least 50 percent of the snaps over their first three seasons.

Had Murphy hit any of those, his fifth-year number would be $15.9 million.

But Murphy played just 305 of 1,097 snaps (27.8 percent) as a rookie and 353 of 1,138 (31 percent) in 2024 before moving into the starting role last year and playing 682 of 1,089 snaps (62.6 percent).

The Bengals have picked up the fifth-year option on each of their last four first-round picks who were eligible, although Burrow and Chase ended up signing their extensions before playing on the fifth-year number.

Cornerback Dax Hill (2022 draft) will earn $12.6 million this year on his fifth-year option.

The Bengals also picked up the option on 2019 offensive tackle Jonah Williams ($12.6 million).

Only three times out of a possible 13 since the fifth-year option was instituted with the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement have the Bengals not exercised it.

They declined the option on 2015 offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi, 2017 wide receiver John Ross and 2018 Billy Price.

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