Source: Bengals, safety Geno Stone agree to 2-year, $15M deal
The deal includes a $6 million signing bonus.
Stone went from being a role player to one of the Baltimore Ravens’ top defensive playmakers last season. His seven interceptions ranked second in the NFL last year and were the most by a Ravens player since Ed Reed had eight in 2010.
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A seventh-round pick in 2020 (the 21st safety drafted that year), Stone was waived twice by Baltimore in his rookie season before getting re-signed and primarily playing on special teams in 2021 and 2022. He had one interception in his first 34 games.
Then, last season, Stone made 11 starts — filling in for injured safeties Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton — and he instantly became a ball magnet as the center fielder on defense. His streak of four games with an interception is the second-longest in franchise history.
“Geno might be the best seventh-round pick that we’ve ever had — playmaker, attitude, special teams,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said at this year’s NFL scouting combine.
In four seasons, Stone, who turns 25 in April, has 127 tackles, 8 interceptions and a forced fumble.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley contributed to this report.