The Cincinnati Bengals announced a three-year contract extension for running back Giovani Bernard on Wednesday. Bernard, who was Cincinnati's second-round pick in 2013, will be paid $15.5 million over the three seasons tacked onto the end of his rookie contract, keeping him with the team through the 2019 season. The deal raises Bernard's total compensation over the next four seasons to approximately $17.17 million. The average annual value of the extension (approximately $5.17 million per year) is 10th highest among NFL running backs, per Spotrac.

By signing him through 2019, the Bengals have now also locked up two of quarterback Andy Dalton's top weapons for the next four seasons. A.J. Green, the team's top wide receiver, signed a four-year, $60 million extension last offseason, one which will keep him in black and orange through 2019 as well. Eventual No. 2 wideout Tyler Boyd (sorry, Brandon LaFell), Cincy's second-round pick this season, is also under team control through the 2019 season.

That's three-fifths of the Bengals' top five skill position players, locked in for four years apiece, for a total of around $81.43 million between them. The remaining two weapons, 2013 first-rounder Tyler Eifert and 2014 second-rounder Jeremy Hill, each have contracts that run through 2017 and are eligible for extensions next offseason.

Considering the Bengals venture into free agency less often than almost any team (Pro-Football-Reference lists them as having only 11 players drafted by other teams on their current roster) and seldom let their core players walk, it's reasonable to expect both Eifert and Hill to be retained through at least 2019 when the Bengals are able to offer them contracts. (This is where some might mention the fact that Cincy just let Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu walk, but the counter is that they didn't view either player as part of the core, which is probably at least partially true. It's also highly possible they let those players walk so they'd have money to dole out to their true skill position core, which they just started doing with Bernard.)

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Bernard's total compensation is approximately $17.17 million over the next four years. USATSI

Eifert seems likely to command a deal near the top of the tight end market if he can match his production from 2015, while Hill will presumably be in line for a deal somewhere in the neighborhood of Bernard's barring a sudden and severe spike or drop in production in 2016. (The two have identical 4.3 yards per carry averages in their careers, and though Hill leads in total touchdowns 21-17 despite one less year of experience, Bernard averages more catches per year than Hill has total catches in his career.)

Dalton, who is signed through 2020, is coming off the best season of his five-year career. He set career highs in completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdown rate, interception rate, passer rating, and QBR, and much of that was due to the fact that he finally had a full complement of weapons at his disposal.

Two of those weapons are now signed long-term, and a third was just drafted this year to replace the departed wideouts. It would make a ton of sense for the Bengals to continue the process of locking in the rest of the core next offseason.