Joseph Ossai, the 69th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, has agreed to terms on a three-year, $65 million contract with the New York Jets. Ossai has spent the entirety of his five-year career with the team that drafted him, the Cincinnati Bengals.
Joseph Ossai, New York Jets, Agree to Contract
The Jets have agreed with Bengals pass rusher Joseph Ossai on a three-year, $36M contract, including $22.5M gtd, per @AdamSchefter. Jets needed edge help. He's 6-4, 263. Had 5 sacks in each of the last two seasons. #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) March 9, 2026
Ossai played his college ball at Texas and was uber-productive. After three seasons with the Longhorns, Ossai amassed 165 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks. He led the Big 12 with 16 TFLs in 2020. He fell to the third round for the Bengals to scoop up.
Ossai had lofty expectations as an incoming rookie. However, he had to wait to make an impact. In the second preseason game, Ossai suffered a meniscus injury, so he missed the entire 2021 season.
In his second season with the Bengals, Ossai was part of the defensive end rotation for all 16 games, but he did not log a single start. Across 334 snaps, Ossai tallied 17 tackles, two tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one pass breakup, and two fumble recoveries. One of those fumble recoveries was a scoop-and-score in the season-ending win over the Ravens.
His 2023 was a step back with only 177 defensive snaps. In 14 games, Ossai totaled 10 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, and one pass breakup.
In 2024, his snaps jumped back up to 576 on defense, good for 51% of the Bengals’ total. He finally logged his first start with three total on the year. In that time, he added 46 tackles, four tackles for loss, five sacks, a pass breakup, and two forced fumbles.
Following the 2024 season, Ossai tested the market but returned to the Bengals on a one-year, $6.5 million contract for the 2025 season. Last year, he made nine starts and appeared in five other games for a career-high 616 defensive snaps. Ossai amassed 43 tackles, nine tackles for loss, five sacks, and two forced fumbles on the year.
Main Photo: [Sam Greene/The Enquirer] – Imagn Images
