Veteran RB Samaje Perine Returns for Second Stint With Bengals on Two-Year Contract

Cincinnati has an offense to fill out around Joe Burrow.

Samaje Perine returns a kickoff during the Chiefs' 23–14 win over the Texans on Jan. 18, 2025. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

When the Cincinnati Bengals threatened the Kansas City Chiefs' AFC supremacy earlier this decade, running back Samaje Perine was there.

Now, it appears he is coming back to finish the job.

Perine has agreed to a two-year contract worth up to $3.8 million with the Bengals, according to a Monday afternoon report from Mike Garafolo of ESPN. The deal follows two years spent elsewhere by the running back, who played for the Denver Broncos in 2023 and the Chiefs in 2024.

With Kansas City, Perine carried the ball 20 times for 92 yards and a touchdown.

In parts of four seasons with Cincinnati from 2020 to '23, Perine ran for 941 yards on 213 carries and scored six touchdowns. He also scored in the 2022 AFC championship, which the Bengals lost 23–20 to the Chiefs.

Drafted 114th out of Oklahoma in 2017, Perine ran for 603 yards for Washington as a rookie.

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