Mike Pollak

Mike Pollak To Retire

The free agent market for guards continues to thin out. After we heard earlier today that former Falcon Justin Blalock had decided to retire, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com reports (via Twitter) that another unsigned guard, Mike Pollak, is also calling it a career.

While Pollak doesn’t have quite the NFL résumé that Blalock does, he saw plenty of time as a starter during his NFL career. The 30-year-old began his career in 2008 with the Colts before joining the Panthers briefly and then landing in Cincinnati.

In two years with the Bengals, he appeared in 22 games, starting 11 of them. The former second-round pick spent time at both left guard and right guard for the team in 2014, but the Bengals ultimately finished the season with Kevin Zeitler on the right side and Clint Boling on the left, oping to release Pollak back in February.

Like Blalock, Pollak will end his NFL career after a season in which his performance was still reasonably solid — according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he was an above-average pass blocker and run blocker in 2014, finishing with a +4.6 grade in 456 offensive snaps.

Bengals Release Mike Pollak

The Bengals have parted ways with veteran offensive lineman Mike Pollak, the team announced today (via Twitter). After spending two seasons in Cincinnati, Pollak will become a free agent immediately, having been cut by the Bengals.

Pollak, who celebrated his 30th birthday on Monday, started his career with the Colts before joining the Panthers briefly and then landing in Cincinnati. In two years with the Bengals, he appeared in 22 games, starting 11 of them. The former second-round pick spent time at both left guard and right guard for the team in 2014, but the Bengals ultimately finished the season with Kevin Zeitler on the right side and Clint Boling on the left.

With Boling headed for unrestricted free agency next month, the Bengals could have kept Pollak on the roster as a potential starter for next season, but it appears the club either is confident Boling will re-sign or is comfortable moving in a different direction. As Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com tweets, Cincinnati is expected to target depth at guard in free agency and in the draft.

By releasing Pollak, the Bengals remove his $1.2MM base salary and $75K workout bonus for 2015 from their books. However, the veteran lineman still had two years left on his contract, so the team will have to deal with a little dead money. Overall, the move reduces Pollak’s cap number from $1.44MM to about $333K.

Bengals, Pollak Agree To Three-Year Deal

The Bengals have agreed to terms with prospective free agent Mike Pollak on a new contract that will keep the guard off the open market, according to Geoff Dobson of Bengals.com. Alex Marvez of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter) that Pollak’s deal will be a three-year pact.

“I don’t think there’s any question there would have been a market for Mike, but he felt really comfortable playing for [Bengals offensive line coach] Paul [Alexander],” said agent Ken Zuckerman. “He likes the fit and Paul’s approach and is happy about going back there.”

Pollak, 29, has been limited to just eight games over the last two seasons due to injury issues, but started multiple contests at right guard for the Bengals last season and recorded positive grades, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics. With some injury and free agent question marks along the offensive line, the Bengals will likely rely on Pollak as either the top interior reserve in 2014, or perhaps even as a starter.

I had ranked Pollak, a former second-round pick out of Arizona State, as a second-tier option when I broke down the free agent market for guards earlier this week.