CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. agreed to a two-year extension Thursday. Brown was entering the final year of his contract, but now is locked in with Cincinnati through the 2028 season.

The news comes as a mild surprise, specifically with the two years added to Brown’s deal. However, it builds on the theme of the offensive line’s continuity and chemistry becoming a linchpin of the organization’s strength.

The Bengals re-signed free agent guard Dalton Risner and will return the same main starting five for the first season since Joe Burrow’s arrival at quarterback.

Cincinnati acquired Brown as a free agent in 2023 on a four-year, $64 million deal from the Kansas City Chiefs. His extension adds two years and $32 million, with the same average annual value, according to a team source.

The average annual value of $16 million per year ranks 17th among all left tackles.

“There is no place I’d rather be,” Brown told reporters after the extension’s announcement. “To have the opportunity to be able to be here for another two seasons outside of this year, it’s very special and means a lot to me and my family.”

Brown has become a leader and captain during his time in Cincinnati, while growing his impact in the community. In 2024, the Bengals nominated Brown for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.

He has started 45 games since joining Cincinnati. In 2024, he missed six games with a leg injury but played through pain over the final two weeks of the regular season, hoping to help the Bengals qualify for the playoffs.

Brown represented himself to get the extension done, going straight to the source to make it happen.

“I think who I play for, representing myself, made a lot of sense in this situation,” he said. “Is this something I would do anywhere else? I don’t know, to be honest. I think with my relationship with our front office and ownership made a lot of sense … It’s as easy as walking up there to (Benglas owner and president) Mike Brown and saying, ‘Hey, can we get this done?’”

So they did. The deal has been done for weeks, according to team sources, before being finalized and announced Thursday.

With his extension locked in, there’s fallout for the Bengals to consider for the NFL Draft, free agency, around the AFC North and beyond.

Without the extension, the team needed to address a potential replacement at left tackle for 2027 while finding a backup swing tackle this year. There was even a thought of using the Bengals’ first draft pick at No. 10 on a tackle who could grow into that role as a bookend opposite right tackle Amarius Mims. Brown’s extension takes that pick off the table, though the reserve tackle situation will need to be filled at some point.

The other question is whether Brown can sustain his expected level of play over the next three seasons. He turns 30 on May 2. Last year, in his first full season after the 2024 leg injury, he played every snap, but his efficiency dipped. Pro Football Focus charted Brown allowing a career-high nine sacks and the worst pass-blocking grade of his career. In fairness, his performance settled down in the second half of the season as the left guard position stabilized when rookie Dylan Fairchild officially reclaimed the starting job and played at a higher level.

Still, questions about age and performance will follow Brown as they do most players crossing 30, and will inevitably factor into whether he completes all three years of this contract. Every game brings a potential disaster in a pass-heavy offense that provides minimal help on the edges.

Despite that, Brown is confident in living up to the deal.

“I feel as though this is probably the most uncomfortable and comfortable situation for me, in a way,” Brown said. “What I’m asked to do game to game is unique in terms of the drop-back pass and one-on-one pass protection. It is the most vulnerable state for any offensive lineman in football, let alone a left tackle. And you add in blocking for a half-a-billion-dollar quarterback and playing for this organization with great players like Andrew Whitworth and Anthony Muñoz and Willie Anderson, it comes with a lot of pressure.

“But for me, I love being a Bengal. I love playing here in this city. I feel like my best football is ahead of me, which is one of the reasons we were able to get two years done. I love it.”

Brown will also have to love blocking his former teammate, Trey Hendrickson, who will man the edge across from him for the Baltimore Ravens. Brown and Hendrickson got into a brawl in their first Bengals practice against each other in 2023, and they shared duels during Brown’s time in Kansas City. Now, Hendrickson and Brown are being paid to determine games against each other for the next three years, potentially.

No, the fighting between those two probably hasn’t come to an end.

“It’s just kind of just our approach to the game of football, man,” Brown said. “It’s who he is. I think about the first time I played him when I was in Kansas City in the AFC championship. To be honest, we fought there, too. That’s just the way our approach is. And I’m sure the film will reflect that when we suit up.”