Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone is taking the contract pay cut in stride, saying it’s what is best for the team as it forges ahead into 2025.
The Bengals and Stone agreed to a pay cut on a contract restructuring early this week, slashing his salary but shifting around guarantees, seemingly assuring him of a roster spot.
Stone spoke candidly about the topic after the news went public.
“At the end of the day, I’m here and I’m going to give it my all wherever I am at,” Stone said, according to WLWT’s Charlie Clifford. “That is something I owe them. I signed here and I want to own what I want to do for them. Honestly, I was upset with my myself a lot last year. Just the way my play was early in the year. I got put in situations I really never had in my career — and that had nothing to do with anyone else. It was just me.”
And the capper from Stone, via Clifford: “It’s something I was willing to do for the team.”
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While Stone obviously struggled last season alongside the rest of the unit, it remains to be seen what, and even if, the Bengals do anything with the cap space they’re freeing up. They did something similar with running back Zack Moss and have yet to make other moves.
At safety, at least, it would make sense for the Bengals to go out and target a free agent like Justin Simmons over the summer. That, or as Stone suggests, work something out with a huge name like Trey Hendrickson.
If not, outsiders will be asking what the real point of the recent contract restructuring even was.
Geno Stone said he was disappointed in his play last year so he understood the ask to take a pay cut but he also considered saying no. Said if the #Bengals are clearing cap space there’s a reason and he assumes it’s going to Trey Hendrickson. Said his cut was best for the team.
— Laurel Pfahler (@LaurelPfahler) May 6, 2025
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals’ Geno Stone gets brutally honest about his contract restructure