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USATSI

The Cincinnati Bengals have Super Bowl hopes this season and players on the team are willing to take pay cuts to help the effort. Linebacker Logan Wilson knows the importance of maintaining the stars in Cincy in order to make the championship run they see in their future.

Wilson was eligible for an extension on his rookie contract this offseason and ended up signing a four-year extension worth up to $37.25 million. The fourth-year player believes his deal will make it easier for the Bengals to pay for the big names, like quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Tee Higgins -- who, along with Wilson, were the top three picks in the team's 2020 draft class.

"I still think that this contract allows them to get those things done with guys, and hopefully we're able to keep them long-term as well," Wilson said one day after signing the new deal, via ESPN.

While other players await their deals, including Higgins, Wilson says everyone is supportive, which he knows is rare in this league.

"We are all rooting for each other," Wilson said. "That's also rare, because sometimes guys are just trying to get theirs. The whole team camaraderie we have is just rare and that's another reason I wanted to be a part of it."

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor had a good feeling about Wilson in 2020 when the linebacker was on the draft board and is relieved that he not only was able to get the player he wanted, but that he turned out to be successful.

"He's one of those draft experiences that I have, where we really crossed our fingers for every single pick that came off the board, hoping and praying that he'd still be available," Taylor said. "And fortunately, he was."

Wilson said it is "rewarding" and "humbling" to be part of such an important draft class that helped turn a struggling Bengals team around. 

The 27-year-old lead the team in tackles in the last two seasons. Last year, he had a career-high 123 tackles along with 2.5 sacks, one interception and a forced fumble. In his career in the regular season, he has 256 combined tackles, seven interceptions, 11 pass deflections and two forced fumbles. 

He has played in seven playoff games, starting all seven, with one interception, one forced fumble, 62 combined tackles and two quarterback hits in the postseason. 

As a starter, he helped lead the team to back-to-back AFC North champions the last two seasons. 

Wilson is not the only player that took a deal they felt would help the team. Running back Joe Mixon took a $3 million pay cut in order to help the team's championship efforts, saying he sees "the bigger picture."

The Bengals currently have +1000 odds to win it all, fifth best in the league, per Caesars Sportsbook. They have +500 odds to be conference winners and +160 odds to be division winners.