Jim Owczarski

jowczarski@enquirer.com

On the eve of free agency, The Enquirer reported that the Cincinnati Bengals were going to allot nearly $15 million in available cap space to the re-signing of their core free agents.

As a whole, there was a group of 14 players that were set to hit the market but the team had three primary targets to re-sign: Wide receiver Marvin Jones, strong safety George Iloka and cornerback Adam Jones.

The team was able to re-sign two of the three on Wednesday, and to do so league sources indicated that the Bengals stretched that allotted number by a few million.

And it’s possible they would have gone well over that had Marvin Jones agreed to stay with the Bengals.

Shortly after the receiver decided to move on from Cincinnati to Detroit, Jones publicly stated his decision wasn’t about money, but about the opportunity to be a No. 1 receiver – he was truthful.

Marvin Jones to fans: 'We appreciate and will miss you'

One league source told The Enquirer the receiver was offered $8 million annually early in the week and a second league source said the Bengals matched the $40 million total the Lions offered.

Not long after Jones decided to move on, the Bengals agreed to terms with Iloka for $30 million over five years. Later on Wednesday, league sources told The

Enquirer Adam Jones agreed to a three-year deal at a total north of $20 million.

Veteran offensive lineman Eric Winston was also retained on Wednesday, and as he enters his 11th season he will earn around $1 million for his service time.

On Thursday, linebacker Vinny Rey was brought back into the fold with a three-year deal for $11.5 million. While Rey has been a starter for the Bengals the last two years, his annual contract value checks in just behind Rey Maualuga and right around the total dollars of former backup Bengals linebacker Dan Scuta, who is

currently in Jacksonville.

All told, the 2016 cap hits for those players will be around $17 million.

To get all of these deals done – and make a serious play for Marvin Jones – the Bengals decided to pull money from some of their budgeted pools, such as the injury and incentive pot.

The team remains intent on using the $7.5 million carry over from last year to put towards possible extensions for corner Dre Kirkpatrick, guard Kevin Zeitler and a

host of other players who could become unrestricted free agents after the 2016 season.

That left little room for wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, who reportedly signed a $32.5 million deal in Atlanta over five years. Longtime veterans Leon Hall and Reggie Nelson appear to be moving on as well.

With Jones and Sanu gone, overthecap.com projects the Bengals to receive two additional fourth-round draft picks in 2017 due to their departures.

Prior to signing Adam Jones, Iloka, Winston and Rey, the team had re-signed Brandon Tate for a one-year deal at a $760,000 base price. Exclusive rights free agent T.J. Johnson was re-signed for $600,000 on Monday, but that money was budgeted out separately.

After this initial, large wave of retaining their own players, the Bengals are likely to have finished spending large sums of money. Should the team look for a veteran

wide receiver to bolster their depth, or even start opposite A.J. Green, it will come later in the free agency process when prices have dropped considerably. The team will also be looking into re-signing defensive tackles Pat Sims and Brandon Thompson at friendly contract terms in the coming weeks.