CINCINNATI — Ted Karras will remain a Bengal for at least a little while longer.
The Cincinnati Bengals announced on Thursday the team signed the offensive lineman to a one-year contract extension, set to last through the 2025 season.
"I want to play for as long as they'll have me and then I'll play one more," said Karras during an interview after practice on Thursday. "That's kind of been my thought process in this league."
Karras joined the Bengals as an unrestricted free agent in 2022 and since then, he's made a big impact on the team and the city; though he didn't take home the 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award at the end of last season, fans rallied behind him and solidly voted him the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year Charity Challenge winner.
The center player has also won the hearts of Cincinnatians through his philanthropic work; his organization Cincy Hat has raised funding to help hundreds of adults with developmental disabilities gain more independence through Indiana nonprofit Village of Merici.
His popularity was clear earlier this year when Bengals fans showed up to a Cincy Hat event in droves. "St. Tatty's Day" was a hit among Bengals fans, as hundreds of people went under the tattoo needle to get the brand's logo tattooed on their bodies.
"In true Cincinnati fashion, the fans here are very fanatical and have given us so much support over the last two seasons in the Cincy Hat project," Karras said of the event. "This whole day is a thank you for all that support."
Karras has also garnered Cincinnatians' respect on the field; he's started in all 36 games he's played since joining the Bengals, lining up for 2,379 of a possible 2,398 offensive snaps.
