Bengals release former Bucs starting guard ahead of free agency
On Monday, the Cincinnati Bengals released former Bucs draft pick and starter Alex Cappa from their roster in a move to save money towards their salary cap.
Cappa, who will be an eighth-year player in 2025, joined the Bengals as a free agent in 2022. He started all 50 games he played in for Cincinnati at guard, the same position he played with the Bucs. In his career as a whole, Cappa has played in 102 games and started in 96 of them.
Cappa was drafted in the third round in 2013, one year before Jason Licht arrived on the team. He got on NFL radars after an impressive showing at the Senior Bowl and a college career at Humboldt State, which is a now-defunct Division II program.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Team president wades into Bengals-Hendrickson standoff
Zac Taylor, Joe Burrow and multiple members of the front office have shown keen interest or become directly involved in contract negotiations between the Cincinnati Bengals and contract holdout Trey Hendrickson. Mike Brown wields a different level of influence as the team president of the Cincinnati franchise. He's wading into the matter as the Bengals and the NFL's sack leader continue their staredown into the preseason. 'I think we are in a good spot. I hope this thing comes together soon. I'm just going to leave it at that,' Brown said in an interview with The optimism is welcomed by the team on the field. Taylor, as head coach, and his face-of-the-franchise quarterback, Burrow, tried but failed to help break the ice during a frigid standoff that became clearer to the public when Hendrickson detailed the weight of the business discussion on personal relationships. Brown told NFL Network his stance on the contract matter is 'the sooner the better.' At issue is Hendrickson's $15.8 million salary in 2025, the last season on a four-year, $60 million contract he signed in 2021. The highest-paid pass rushers in the NFL are all making at least $34 million per season with Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons in queue for what is expected to be a massive payday. Hendrickson has indicated he won't play without a bump in pay and expressed disappointment in the process in mid-May. 'When there's a lack of communication in any relationship, where it's a business or personal relationship, lack of communication leads to animosity, and that leaves my narrative only to me with no clear direction,' Hendrickson said May 13 when asked about whether he wants to remain with the Bengals. Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt nudged the market to a new level last week with a three-year deal averaging $41 million per season. The $123 million pact pushed Watt ahead of Browns defensive end Myles Garrett ($40 million), who jumped the line with a fully guaranteed contract he signed with Cleveland in March. Danielle Hunter (Texans, $35.6 million AAV) and Maxx Crosby (Raiders, $35.5 million) are one rung above 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa ($28 million) Hendrickson had 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons. He has 57 total sacks and four Pro Bowl selections in his four seasons with Cincinnati. Hendrickson has 77 career sacks in 110 games (81 starts), divided equally between the New Orleans Saints (2017-20) and Bengals. Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Bengals owner wants to make Shemar Stewart a test subject for slimy contract precedent
After the NFLPA collusion scandal over guaranteed money, you would think NFL owners could show a little more public tact about not wanting to pay their players what they're worth. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong. While the Dallas Cowboys' Jerry Jones showed his whole [expletive] over not wanting to pay his high-profile employees money that they've earned, the Cincinnati Bengals' Mike Brown was busy discussing two pertinent contract situations hanging over the ostensible Super Bowl contender like a wrinkled dress shirt with an iron mark conspicuously burned into one of the sleeves. I'm talking, of course, about ongoing negotiations with veteran pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson, who led the NFL in sacks last year, and rookie first-round pick Shemar Stewart, who hasn't participated in a single workout with Cincinnati since he got drafted in April. The different tenor and language with which Brown discussed both situations is not lost on me. While yes, Cincinnati still has to actually pay him, when it comes to Hendrickson, he "deserves" a raise and is "important" to the Bengals. That's a strong (kind of complimentary?) choice of words to use with a veteran player who has been holding out and criticizing team leadership since before the spring ... isn't it? When the discussion shifted to Stewart, Brown was strangely more on the offensive. He explained that the holdup over signing Stewart has to do with a hypothetical (and perhaps kind of racist with a Black player?) grievance he's made up in his own head about having to pay Stewart if he ever ... went to prison. That's not a typo, dearest readers. Please note that Stewart, to date, has never had a single major legal issue of this sort. He appears to be a model citizen. Never mind that the NFL also already has a "conduct detrimental to the team" provision in its rulebook, which should essentially make Brown's farfetched concern trolling moot. I hate that it has to be said out loud like this, but no one sitting in prison gets money from an NFL team. Full stop. Brown will never admit it, but he almost certainly has an ulterior motive for highlighting disciplinary conduct for players as a reason for delaying Stewart's contract signing. As former NFL executive Andrew Brandt posited, Brown is likely taking this path because he wants a new avenue to void guaranteed money in rookie contracts. If Brown can somehow sneak a new unclear voiding provision related to discipline into Stewart's deal, then it would seemingly allow Cincinnati to follow suit with all future young players in the same position. That's (partly) why Brown discussed Hendrickson differently. As a veteran with an established history of signed NFL deals, he's not a test subject for the Bengals owner to find a way to weasel his way out of paying his workers: If I were Stewart, I would hold my ground. Giving in to Brown's and the Bengals' demands here would not only make life harder for him, it would open the door to Cincinnati (and potentially other NFL teams) trying to take advantage of young players in a new, sinister way. It would be a Pandora's Box that could never be closed. Kudos to Stewart for standing up for his labor rights because he knows what he's worth. Have the Bengals tried to low-ball other recent players? Yes! I'm glad you asked! Cincinnati was famously in an extended holding period over Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins' first contract extensions after their rookie deals. In some ways, while Stewart might be dealing with something more nefarious, that situation was probably more mind-boggling given how productive and young Chase and Higgins still are, even now. If they, of all star duos, had to fight to get paid in Cincinnati, that meant anyone could. The Bengals would eventually relent and sign both Chase and Higgins at the same time, but not without some unflattering barbs being traded in the news cycle from time to time. If there's one thing the Bengals have mastered over the years, it's irritating their best players at the negotiating table.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Is Chase Brown a 'must draft' fantasy first rounder?
Yahoo Sports fantasy analysts Matt Harmon and Justin Boone discuss the Bengals running back's performance last season and why he could be a sneaky first round value who is going much later in early drafts. Hear the full conversation on the 'Yahoo Fantasy Forecast' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript Chase Brown here in the 3rd round. This is a guy that I'm targeting basically in every draft. Last year from week 4 on, he was a top 7 fantasy back and top 7 fantasy points per game in half PPR leagues. I don't see any reason why he can't do that again. Hopefully, the Bengals can get the contract situation sorted out with some of those defensive guys that are unhappy. Let's get those guys in there. I think this team could be better. I think he could get more scoring opportunity. I'm not that worried there about any of the other options in that backfield. Zach Moss coming back from injury, Taj Brooks, the rookie. I think they're just going to be complimentary pieces. I don't think they're coming for the top role by any means. And Chase Brown proved last year he can handle big workloads and he could put up good fantasy points. I think this guy might be like a round one value that people are getting in the 3rd round right now. I highly recommend everybody should be out there trying to get him. I think that, uh, Chase Brown is where the tear drops off to like another group at running back, cause I kind of hesitated between, I took Lamar Jackson at the top of the 3rd round, and Brown was maybe like my last tier of running backs where I do think there's a drop off to the Kenneth Walker, Bruce Hall, Kron Williams, like that James Cook, that group of guys. That was where running backs sort of dropped off to me, and I really will come back to elite quarterbacks cause I decided to go with Lamar Jackson there instead of Chase Brown, but I do think that's kind of the guy, the last one I see in this group of like, all right, like locked in running back one status. Close
