The Cincinnati Bengals saw former second-round pick DJ Turner II have a breakout season in 2025. He showed flashes before a broken collarbone in 2024, but 2025 was a season where Turner started being mentioned alongside the top cornerbacks in the NFL.
Good news for Turner is that it happened right before the final season of his rookie contract. 2026 is the final year of his four-year deal, and as a second-round pick, the team does not get a fifth-year option. Turner stated this offseason that he would like to stay in Cincinnati, but would let his agent handle the business side.
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ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently reported that there is “virtually no chance” that the Bengals and Turner get an extension done before Week 1, which is historically the team’s deadline.
“Turner is an underrated cover man out of the AFC North, but this deal has virtually no chance to get done before Week 1, barring a massive and unexpected uptick. It isn’t close, and Turner is poised to play out his rookie deal,” Fowler wrote on ESPN.
Fowler also mentioned what he feels is the most likely scenario, and it is one Bengals fans may not like.
“If Cincinnati follows its own blueprint, it will franchise-tag Turner as it did with another star defensive back, Jessie Bates III, in 2022. Bates had to play on the tag before reaching a four-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. Turner will be in line for a large payday in free agency, if he reaches it. But the franchise tag is a real possibility here,” Fowler predicted.
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Obviously, fans and both parties would like to see a deal come together to avoid the franchise tag drama, but it appears both sides are pretty far apart on a new deal.
While Bates got the franchise tag and then walked, the Bengals did franchise tag Tee Higgins twice and got a long-term extension knocked out last offseason.
The Bengals may simply say “Do it again” to Turner and reward him after, but it appears we are a season or two away from knowing the final result.
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