The Bengals placed the franchise tag on defensive end Michael Johnson in March, however the team was unable to work out a long-term deal with Johnson before Monday's 4 p.m. ET deadline for franchise players.
Instead, the Bengals locked up their other defensive end to a long-term deal. Carlos Dunlap has agreed to terms on a six-year, $40 million extension, according to CBSSports.com NFL Insider Jason LaCanfora.
Dunlap had one year left on a four-year rookie deal that he signed in 2010 after the Bengals drafted him in the second round out of the University of Florida.
The former Gator's original contract would have paid him $630,000 in base salary in 2013. That number will now shoot up considerably. With the extension, Dunlap is scheduled to pull in $18.7 million between now and March of 2014, LaCanfora reported. The deal includes a total of $20 million over the first two years.
Despite only starting two games in three seasons, Dunlap has still been able to tally a total of 20 sacks. Dunlap's 9.5 sacks as a rookie in 2010 led the team. Last season, Dunlap recorded six sacks, which was fourth on the team behind Wallace Gilberry (6.5), Johnson (11.5) and Geno Atkins (12.5).
