The Cincinnati Bengals have a major headache going into the offseason, with new deals set to be given to Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase, and Trey Hendrickson, all three critical parts of their roster. However, a couple of trades before the start of the free agency have entirely changed the market dynamics, and the Bengals will need to pay a lot higher now if they intend to keep their stars.
They could have made the new deals earlier, but they remained stuck in negotiations, and fans can’t help but call the Begals’ front office the worst in the NFL.
Bengals Fans Rip Into Front Office for Delaying Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins Contracts
Cincinnati has publicly stated that it wants to make Chase the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL’s history. If the Bengals had agreed to a contract last year, that could have meant they would be paying him around $35 million. But Chase felt he was “misled” by the Bengals, and the two sides didn’t sign a contract.
No team may have been hit harder today than the #Bengals:
— Myles Garrett’s $40M per year extension reset both the pass-rush market (impacting Trey Hendrickson) and the benchmark for the highest-paid non-QB—a title Ja’Marr Chase is aiming for.
— DK Metcalf’s trade and $33M per…
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 10, 2025
Myles Garrett has now secured an extension with the Cleveland Browns, making him the highest-paid non-QB at $40 million a year. This means the Bengals must pay Chase at least $5m higher for a single season.
Garret is a pass rusher, and so is Hendrickson, who is also up for a contract extension and would surely see his asking price rise after this record extension.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati tagged Higgins for the second straight year, and while he was being expected to ask for around $30 million, that could also increase after DK Metcalf’s $33M per year extension. They could have extended him as low as $25 million in 2023.
The Bengals faced a similar situation with safety Jessie Bates, which has left their fan base fuming on social media.
“Worst front office in NFL history,” one user declared.
“Not to harp on the Bengals and Cowboys (again), but the Garrett deal really hammers home why their approaches of dragging stuff out is the worst way to do things,” another fan commented on the Bengals’ sad state
Not to harp on the Bengals and Cowboys (again) but the Myles Garrett deal really hammers home why their approaches of dragging stuff out is the worst way to do things.
Two years ago they could have signed or traded Tee for 22M a year.
A year ago they could have done Chase for…
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) March 9, 2025
While Cincinnati can let go of Higgins and Hendrickson, whom they have also allowed to seek a trade, they are unlikely to do so for the triple-crown winner and will have to pay him somewhere higher than $40m million a year.
“The Chase one is a massive failure. But there are still possible upsides to not having Higgins or Hendrickson done,” one fan noted
The Chase one is a massive failure. But there are still possible upsides to not having Higgins or Hendrickson done.
— BQM (@PrayPuffPlay) March 10, 2025
The Cincinnati front office has to make some crucial decisions in the following weeks, and with over $43 million in cap space, satisfying all three players of their core seems daunting.