After seven seasons in Cincinnati, C.J. Uzomah will have a new home. The veteran tight end agreed to terms with the Jets on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
It’s a three-year, $24M deal for the longtime Bengals pass catcher. Uzomah is coming off his best season, having helped the Bengals to their first Super Bowl in 33 years, and ended it by playing hurt against the Rams. The former fifth-round pick will cash in.
The Bengals spent money on two interior offensive linemen Monday — Alex Cappa and Ted Karras — and will let one of Joe Burrow‘s weapons walk. The team still has Burrow’s top three targets — Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd — under contract, softening the blow of Uzomah’s defection.
Still, Uzomah was a popular presence in Cincinnati’s locker room and worked as a key complementary target for the rising team. The 6-foot-6 tight end overcame an MCL sprain in the AFC championship game to play in Super Bowl LVI. After combining for 13 receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown in the Bengals’ first two playoff games, he caught two passes in the team’s loss to the Rams.
Uzomah, 29, established new career-high marks across the board in 2021 by catching 49 passes for 493 yards and five touchdowns. Working his way up after playing behind Tyler Eifert and Tyler Kroft, Uzomah has been a regular starter in Cincinnati for the past four seasons. He will head to the Jets to help out Zach Wilson. Ryan Griffin led Jets tight ends with just 27 receptions for 261 yards last year.
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