Without question, Wilson, the leader of the linebacker room, has emerged as a cornerstone of the Bengals' defense over the last five seasons. Although he missed the last five games last season, he was on pace to smash his previous career-high in tackles (135) with 104 through 11 games.

Pratt was set to enter the final season of his three-year contract in 2025. He inked the deal, worth more than $20 million, in 2023. In releasing Pratt, the Bengals will incur $2.3 million in dead money against the salary cap. He was set to earn a $5.25 million salary for the 2025 season.

After the release, Pratt took to Instagram to share a post made by another Bengal that’s not exactly 100 percent happy at the moment, defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who is in the midst of a contract dispute and did not show up to mandatory minicamp this week.