Charlie Jones

Career StatsF

Year	Team	GP	Rec	Yards	TD
Career		33	8	69	—
2025		14	0	0	0
2024		8	1	5	0
2023		11

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

The Cincinnati Bengals took a flyer on an unproven commodity with Charlie Jones' four-year, $4.5M deal ($1.1M AAV), and this D CVI reflects a contract that carries more downside than upside for such minimal production evidence. Jones enters as an unproven receiver in a loaded Bengals receiving room, making his $1.1M annual salary feel like a reach when similar developmental players typically command closer to league minimum deals. At this stage of his career arc, the Bengals are essentially betting on raw potential rather than any demonstrated NFL production, which makes the guaranteed $0.7M feel unnecessarily generous for a player who hasn't proven he can contribute meaningfully at the professional level. The four-year term provides some roster flexibility, but Cincinnati is committing resources to a receiver who may struggle to even crack their deep wide receiver rotation behind established talents like Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. This contract represents the type of speculative investment that rarely pays dividends in today's NFL, where teams can find similar upside players through the draft or undrafted free agency at a fraction of the cost.

Performance Analysis

Charlie Jones earns an F for the Bengals at wide receiver, a former punt return specialist who has not been able to translate his dynamic return ability into offensive production. Jones has the speed to be exciting in the open field, but his route running and hands have not been reliable enough to earn targets in Cincinnati's loaded offense. The Bengals have some of the best receivers in football, and Jones is light years behind them on the depth chart. His value is confined to the return game, and even there, he has been inconsistent. Cincinnati needs more versatile players, and Jones has not shown that dimension.