Bengals Exercise 2017 Option On Tyler Eifert

2:41pm: Eifert’s option for 2017 will be worth $4.782MM, tweets Joel Corry of CBSSports.com.

2:09pm: The Bengals have exercised their option to extend Tyler Eifert‘s rookie contract through the 2017 season, the team announced today via its website. Eifert is the second first-round pick from 2013 to have his fifth-year option picked up, with the Saints having exercised Kenny Vaccaro‘s option earlier this week.Tyler Eifert (Vertical)

“We had very high expectations for Tyler when we drafted him, and he has met them all,” said head coach Marvin Lewis in a statement. “He’s a hugely important part of our team as we go forward.”

Eifert, 25, had a breakout season in 2015, earning his first Pro Bowl nod since entering the league as the 21st overall pick in 2013. After spending the majority of the 2014 season on injured reserve, the Notre Dame alum hauled in 52 passes for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns in just 13 regular season contests last year.

Eifert may take on an even larger role in the Bengals’ passing game in the 2016 season, with secondary receivers Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones no longer in the mix. Cincinnati signed Brandon LaFell as a free agent to help complement Eifert and A.J. Green, and the team figures to address the wide receiver position in the draft as well, but Eifert may be in line for a career high in targets next season.

After playing out the fourth year of his rookie contract and his fifth-year option, Eifert will be eligible for unrestricted free agency – or the franchise tag – in 2018, unless the Bengals extend him before that.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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