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Former Alabama star Dre Kirkpatrick faces a potential ‘life-changing experience’
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Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick is facing two potential firsts in his NFL career.
A first-round pick out of Alabama in the 2012 NFL Draft, Kirkpatrick could miss the playoffs for the first time since joining the Bengals. If he does, then an offseason full of unknowns may begin.
Cincinnati picked up Kirkpatrick’s fifth-year option in 2015, but after this season end, the former Crimson Tide star will be a free agent for the first time in his career. Discussing the matter on “Beyond the Stripes,” a weekly talk show by the Cincinnati Enquirer, Kirkpatrick explained his feelings.
“Your life changes,” Kirkpatrick said. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to face reality. It’s a life-changing experience. You may move. You may move on. I met my girlfriend in Cincinnati. Her whole family’s here. I’ve grown to call this home. I don’t even go home in the offseason. I stay here, so that’s the scary part about it.”
Kirkpatrick said he would prefer to stay with the Bengals, a team that took care of him and taught him how to play the game, but in free agency that is not always a guarantee.
