Following a season-ending neck injury in 2024, Zack Moss‘s playing future was naturally in doubt. Today, the running back reworked his contract in a move that signals his return to the lineup in 2025.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Bengals agreed to rework Moss’s contract in a move that provides the veteran with more guaranteed money and job security heading into the summer. Moss was attached to $3.47MM in nonguaranteed earnings in 2025. As Garafolo notes, today’s move signals that the organization is clearly “confident in his return.”
Following a 2023 campaign with the Colts where he finished with a career-high 986 yards from scrimmage, Moss joined the Bengals last offseason. The former Bills third-round pick was expected to be part of Cincy’s solution for replacing Joe Mixon, and Moss ended up starting each of the Bengals first five games last season.
He started seeing a reduced role around Week 6, and he was officially shelved in early November with a neck issue. While the ailment never appeared to be a definitive career-ender, it easily wiped out the rest of Moss’s 2024 campaign. The running back ultimately finished his first season in Cincinnati with 429 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in eight games.
With Moss sidelined, Chase Brown easily ran with the RB1 role, so the veteran RB will likely be relegated to a backup role in 2025. Samaje Perine was also brought in for some veteran reinforcement, while Kendall Milton and Gary Brightwell are around for offseason depth. Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic also suggests that the Bengals could target the position during Day 3 of the draft.