Geno Stone Takes Veiled Shot At Bengals Upon Joining Bills' 'Winning Culture'

Cincinnati struggled with Stone on the field over the past tow seasons.

Dec 14, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) catches a pass for a touchdown in the first half against Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone (22) at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — Bengals fans don't have to see Geno Stone miss tackles in black and orange anymore, but he still has the team on his mind, moving from Cincinnati over to Buffalo for his latest NFL home.

The embattled safety noted Buffalo's "winning culture" as a reason he will return to his Baltimore form from 2023.

"Getting back into a winning culture," Stone said this week about why he picked Buffalo. "Just being here and being around all the guys and kind of the things they've done here, it's kind of one of the reasons I came here. You know, also having Josh Allen on the other side of the ball, knowing I got another great quarterback I get to play with."

The Bills have played in two AFC Championship games this decade, going 0-2 in those games. The Bengals have played in two as well and went 1-1.

Rough Bengals Run

Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson gets takenn down by Cincinnati Bengals safety Geno Stone during first half action at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Dec. 7, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The veteran was one of the poorest performers on the team over the past two years and a big reason why the Bengals ranked last in yards per play last season. He posted 53.1 and 54.3 Pro Football Focus grades in 2024 and 2025. Stone tallied six interceptions and 10 pass breakups combined the last two seasons, after posting seven picks and nine PBU's alone in 2023.

Stone missed a team-high 26 tackles this past season and was second behind Germaine Pratt in 2024 with 17 missed tackles. Add in a 110.4 NFL passer rating allowed in his coverage area this past season (16 points higher than in 2024), and you get a "winning culture" that Stone did very little to impact positively on the field.

"It comes down to certain situations where people aren't in the right spot, and that's what it came down to," Stone said at his locker after the Bengals loss to the Steelers on Nov. 16. "But I think overall, we played better. I'll say that we played better. I mean, definitely still got to tackle better, myself included, but we definitely played better." 

According to Sport Reference, Stone missed 26 tackles last season, the most in the NFL.

"I'm aware of that. I'm a pro. It's nothing to hide about it," Stone said this week about those issues.

Check out the full clip from Stone below:

Newly signed #Bills S Geno Stone on why he chose Buffalo, cites relationships with fellow former Iowa Hawkeyes Micah Hyde and A.J. Epenesa in his decision-making.

"Me getting back into a winning culture...having Josh Allen on the other side of the ball." pic.twitter.com/1jAEH0GWiV

— Andy Young (@AndyYoungTV) March 16, 2026

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