After an injury-riddled start to his professional career, the Cincinnati Bengals will decline to pick up their fifth-year team option on wide receiver John Ross, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Bengals selected Ross with a top ten pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Bengals informed former first-round pick John Ross that they are declining his fifth-year option, per source. Ross now is contractually tied to Cincinnati only for 2020, not beyond.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 2, 2020
With the Bengals declining their team option, Ross is set to hit the open market once free agency begins next March. If Ross could piece together a productive season and manage to remain relatively healthy this coming season, he should garner plenty of interest from teams looking to add a high risk-high reward offensive weapon next offseason.
However, Ross has yet to piece together a complete campaign in three years. The former University of Washington star has been sidelined for exactly half of his first 48 NFL appearances, missing 24 games with various injuries.
Of course, speed is Ross’ calling card and he’s proven more than capable of taking the top off a secondary on any given play. Ross still holds the combine record with his blazing 4.22 40 speed and has been mostly productive when physically available.
Ross hit paydirt seven times during his sophomore campaign and had two explosive games including three touchdowns to start last season before a serious shoulder injury sidelined him for over two months. Ross could prove to be a promising weapon for first overall pick Joe Burrow in Cincinnati but all indications point to the Bengals likely moving on from him at the conclusion of next season. Ross will now join veteran A.J. Green as two dynamic Bengal playmakers entering the final year of their contracts.
