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The Bengals announced that offensive tackle Fred Johnson was signing his restricted free agent tender this morning, but he’s not returning to the team.
The team has decided to place Johnson on waivers immediately, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
It’s an unusual move: The Bengals initially decided to use the restricted free agent tender to keep Johnson on the team. But that was before they signed offensive tackle La’el Collins. Now that they have Collins, they’ve decided they don’t have room for Johnson on the roster anymore, so they’re letting him go.
Any team that wants Johnson can claim him on waivers, and if he does get claimed, he’ll get the same $2.433 million salary this season that he would have made with the Bengals. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent.
