Dax Hill happy for another year to "prove myself" with Bengals

The Bengals exercised their fifth-year option on cornerback Dax Hill’s contract on Wednesday in a move that was a strong sign of their belief in Hill’s talent and a show of confidence in his ability to return from a torn ACL.

Hill was playing well before being injured in Week Five last season, but exercising the option guarantees him $12.682 million for the 2026 season and that requires a leap of faith that Hill will make it all the way back. The Bengals made that leap and Hill said on Wednesday that he’s happy to show that he “can adjust” to a bump in the road and continue to perform “to the best of my ability.”

“I’m glad they did it. Another year I’m here. I love the city. It’s good to be here another year,” Hill said, via the team’s website. “Prove myself a little bit more. I feel like I haven’t really done much. Obviously, I’ve done a little bit of everything, but just really hit on the ceiling that I want. I felt like I haven’t really reached that. I’m on the way to that and striving to get there.”

The Bengals defense sputtered without Hill on the field in 2024, but all involved are hopeful that 2025 will result in bigger and better things.