The Bengals want to hang onto their restricted free agents, who aren’t terribly restricted.
The team announced they were extending tender offers to wide receivers Andrew Hawkins and Dane Sanzenbacher and linebacker Vincent Rey, giving them the right of first refusal.
“This is part of the yearly process to help us retain our core of good young players,” head coach Marvin Lewis said in a statement. “Andrew, Vinny and Dane have earned the opportunity to look at the market, but we want them back with us. They are certainly in our plans.”
All three players got the low-level RFA tenders of $1.431 million according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today, and since they were undrafted, the Bengals would get no compensation if they chose not to match an offer sheet. Of the group, Hawkins might intrigue some teams, but the Bengals didn’t want to spend the extra money to tender him at a higher level.