Huber, an unrestricted free agent, signed a one-year contract to remain with Cincinnati for the 2022 season. The 14th-year veteran is the team’s longest-tenured player and needs just one more appearance to hold the Bengals’ all-time record for most career regular-season games. He finished 2021 with 207 career regular-season games played as a Bengal, tying cornerback Ken Riley for most in team history.
“I’d love to keep playing here, but I do know the nature of the business, that there’s a chance that it could be my last game here,” Huber had said before Super Bowl LVI.
A Cincinnati native and McNicholas High School graduate, Huber had struggled with consistency in his punts this season. He averaged 46.4 yards per punt, and Bengals special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons noted in December he had been “up and down.”
The Bengals seemed to be potentially ready to move on with the signing of Drue Chrisman to a reserve/future contract the week before the Super Bowl to keep him on the offseason roster. Chrisman had been signed as an undrafted college free agent last year and spent parts of his rookie season on the practice squad, being waived several times to make room on the roster for other players and re-signed as spots opened. The two will compete for the job during training camp.
Huber stands as the Bengals’ career leader in every significant punting category, including punts (980), punting yards (44,426), gross average (45.33), net average (40.27) and inside-20 punts (337), and he also shares the franchise record for longest punt (75).
Originally a Bengals fifth-round draft pick in 2009, Huber was an initial-ballot Pro Bowl selection in 2014. He has been the team’s holder on placekicks his entire career.
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