March 11, 2026
The Super Bowl winner has inked a three-year deal with the team.
Cincinnati native and Howard University alumnus Bryan Cook has just signed a contract to play for his hometown team, the Bengals.
According to ESPN, the deal that the defensive back inked is for three years and $42.5 million. The former Kansas City Chiefs player is coming off his best NFL season.
Cook had a career-high six pass breakups and 85 tackles this past season, his fourth in the NFL. He has won two Super Bowls in his four-year career. While playing in six postseason games, Cook has recorded 17 tackles.
HBCU Gameday has reported that Cook’s contract has $14 million in guaranteed money and will make approximately $13.4 million over the course of the deal.
In his hometown of Ohio, he played at Mount Healthy High School, earning First-Team All-Southwest Ohio Conference honors in 2016. After his stellar play in high school, he was offered a scholarship from Howard University. While at the famed HBCU from 2017 to 2018, he played in 21 games, recording 93 tackles, 17 passes defended, and 5 interceptions, including 1 returned for a touchdown.
After his stint at Howard, he returned home to transfer to the University of Cincinnati, where he became one of the top defensive backs in the American Athletic Conference. In 2021, after finishing the season with 96 tackles, nine passes defended, and two interceptions, he was recognized for his play with First-Team All-AAC honors.
The following year, the Chiefs selected him with the 62nd overall pick in the second round of the NFL Draft. During his time in Kansas City, he played in 62 regular-season games, starting 47. He recorded 238 total tackles, three interceptions, and 15 passes defended.
Now, Cook gets to say that he has played high school, college, and now, NFL football, in his home state.
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