When it comes to the 2025 offseason and free agency for the Cincinnati Bengals, the conversation seems to fixate on Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for obvious reasons.
Chase, of course, needs an extension, while Higgins could leave on the open market.
As such, it’s a little easy to forget about names like B.J. Hill.
Bleacher Report hasn’t — and just projected that Hill will leave the Bengals for the San Francisco 49ers in free agency:
Hill will turn 30 in April, but remains one of the league’s more disruptive interior defenders when fully healthy. He recorded 26 solo tackles and 4.5 sacks while starting all 17 games for the Bengals in 2023.
It would be a pretty big setback for the Bengals. The team hopes rookies Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson are the future on the interior, yes. But Sheldon Rankins has been a bust of a free-agency signing so far and depth beyond that is pretty much zero.
Yet, Hill could indeed be one of those guys they have a hard time bringing back, especially considering other factors like free agents such as Mike Hilton and a name like Trey Hendrickson possibly wanting an extension.
That’s all before considering major investments necessary to bolster the pass-rush and a disaster of a secondary, too.
So yes, the Bengals could lose Hill to a team like the 49ers. And it just joins the long list of potential issues to keep in mind ahead of a critical offseason.
