The Bengals have locked up their best edge rusher.
Sam Hubbard and Cincinnati agreed to a four-year, $40 million deal, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday. The move comes just a few days before the team is set to begin training camp and Hubbard was set to enter a contract year.
Cincinnati announced the extension through 2025 on Monday morning.
The fourth-year veteran has played defensive end and linebacker for the Bengals, accruing 177 tackles and 16.5 sacks. He'll be surrounded by a remade supporting cast in 2021, as Cincinnati selected defensive linemen Joseph Ossai, Cameron Sample and Tyler Shelvin in the third and fourth rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Bengals are hoping for different results, too, after producing one of the league's weakest pass rushes. Carl Lawson, who led the team with 5.5 sacks last year, signed with the Jets in the offseason. Hubbard registered a career-low 2.0 sacks while missing three games midway through the 2020 season with an elbow injury.
