Source: Bengals to release longtime starting LB Germaine Pratt - ESPN

CINCINNATI — A longtime Cincinnati Bengals starting defender is looking for a new team for the upcoming season.

Cincinnati will release linebacker Germaine Pratt on Monday, a source confirmed to ESPN. Pratt has been a starter in each of the past six seasons and was an instrumental part of the team's back-to-back AFC North titles and AFC championship appearances in 2021 and 2022.

NFL Network first reported news of Pratt's release.

Pratt, 29, was set to enter the final year of a three-year contract extension he signed in 2023. With the release, the Bengals will gain $5.9 million in cap savings while picking up $2.3 million against the cap for the upcoming season.

Pratt was one of the longest-tenured Bengals on the roster. Pratt and tight end Drew Sample were the only members of the team's 2019 draft class who were still with the club. A third-round pick out of North Carolina State, Pratt started in 88 of his 96 appearances with the Bengals.

The parting of ways was inevitable given how the offseason transpired. First, Pratt requested a trade following the firing of defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who was quickly hired by the Indianapolis Colts for the same role. Then in April, Cincinnati drafted two linebackers — South Carolina's Demetrius Knight Jr. and Clemson's Barrett Carter, in the second and fourth rounds, respectively.

Knight was immediately slotted as a potential starting option in place of Pratt, who did not report to any of the team's voluntary workouts.

«He's going to walk in the door and fight for a way to contribute immediately,» Bengals coach Zac Taylor said when Knight was drafted. «I'm fired up to watch that happen.»

Last season, Pratt led the team with 143 total tackles. He also had two interceptions and