As expected, the Cincinnati Bengals exercised the fifth-year option on Dax Hill’s contract, waiting until after the 2025 NFL draft to make it official.

On the fifth year of his rookie contract in 2026, Hill will make $12.8 million, with the move wrapping him up for two more seasons as the Bengals rebuild the defense around him and new coordinator Al Golden.

The Bengals drafted Hill in the first round of the 2022 draft in the hopes he could eventually take over Jessie Bates’ role one year later. After one season there, the Bengals moved him to cornerback last year to encouraging results.

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While the noise around Hill’s future in 2025 at either boundary corner or inside as a slot defender has been mixed so far, either way, the Bengals still very much view him as a blue-chip prospect with major upside. Now, he gets two seasons to carve out a key role for himself with the fifth-year option accepted.

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