The Cincinnati Bengals have a lot of talented players on their roster, including at their kicker position with Evan McPherson. Through three seasons, McPherson has proven himself to have a knack for delivering in the clutch, and in the process, he's turned himself into one of the best kickers in the league in just three years.

At just 25 years old, the Bengals have some security at a spot with a lot of turnover in the kicker position, and they clearly want to hold onto McPherson for as long as they can. As a result, they signed their star kicker to a three-year, $16.5 million contract extension on Friday afternoon, ensuring he'd be sticking with Cincinnati for the next few years.

Bengals resolve one of their contract dilemmas with Evan McPherson

Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (2) kicks an extra point against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second half at Paycor Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

McPherson was entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2024, so extending him at some point in the near future was important for the Bengals. With this deal getting finalized, now, McPherson gets paid like one of the best kickers of the game, while Cincy doesn't have to worry about his contract situation during the upcoming campaign.

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Unfortunately, this isn't the end of the contract drama for the Bengals. They have a pair of wide receivers in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins who still need extensions, and that's going to be even more difficult to pull off in the wake of this extension for McPherson. Money has been tight to come by since Joe Burrow signed his five-year, $275 million deal, and while this isn't nearly as big of a deal for McPherson, every penny counts for Cincinnati's front office right now.

Getting this deal is a victory for the Bengals, even though fans would have likely rather seen the extension be for Chase or Higgins. Having a reliable kicker in the NFL is extremely important, though, and McPherson has proven in three short years that he can be relied upon, so locking him up for the next three seasons is a good bit of business.

The Bengals are going to look to bounce back in 2024 after a rough, injury-plagued 2023 campaign, and McPherson is going to play a big role in determining their success on the field. If he can continue nailing kicks on a consistent basis, then Cincinnati is going to be in a good spot to reestablish themselves as one of the best teams in the league and hopefully go on a deep playoff run.