The Cinncinati Bengals will retain their starting tight end Tyler Eifert with a one-year deal worth around $8 million. Adam Schefter reported the news of the deal on Twitter.
Bengals’ TE Tyler Eifert reached agreement on a one-year deal and is staying in Cincinnati, per league source. Top available TE off the board.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2018
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported how much the contract was worth.
Tyler Eifert’s one-year deal with the #Bengals has a maximum value of $8 million, source said. (@AdamSchefter first on the signing)
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 15, 2018
Eifert has been severely injury prone during his tenure in the NFL, missing more games (41) than he has played (39). He only played in two games in 2017 before ending his season with back surgery.
When he is healthy, Eifert is a huge target for quarterback Andy Dolton to throw to. The biggest question is if he will remain healthy. He had 13 touchdown catches in 2015 but just has not been able to get onto the field.
Giving Eifert a big new contract would have been a huge risk for any team. If he is able to return to form, he may be able to convince a team to give him a max deal. This one year deal is safe for the Bengals to see if Eifert will stay healthy or if more surgeries will be required.
It is interesting that there seemed to be no other teams that were able to offer more than what the Bengals did. Regardless of injuries, sometimes a person’s potential can outweigh any cons that come with them. It may mean that others did not believe that Eifert can remain healthy and contribute to their team.
