The Cincinnati Bengals have had a disappointing season. With a subpar 5-8 record for an expected Super Bowl contender, the year has to weigh heavy on them. Further, the lack of financial flexibility in the shadow of Joe Burrow and his $275 million makes the future look precarious.
However, in between that negativity, the franchise continues to have a quarterback in elite company. When the topic of pending extensions for his wide receiver group came up, Burrow was ready to make the sacrifice himself.
Joe Burrow’s Surprising Comments After Monday Night Football Win
In a year where victories have been hard to come by for Cincinnati, Monday Night Football in Week 14 was no different. Despite missing QB Dak Prescott, the Dallas Cowboys gave the Bengals a run for their money, with a whiffed punt return saving Zac Taylor and his men. A spectacular drive capped off by a dish to Ja’Marr Chase on the sidelines led to the fifth win on the year for the Bengals.
But the celebration was short-lived for a team with its back against the wall. While this season remains in flux, the outlook for next season isn’t too bright either. Tee Higgins is in line for a contract extension after a drawn-out negotiation period last year resulted in the Bengals franchise-tagging him.
This time around, however, Burrow remains confident that they’ll make it happen. As Charlie Clifford pointed out, during the postgame press conference, Burrow had a “bombshell” statement. “I’m confident we are going to do what it takes to get Tee (Higgins) back (in 2025).”
Further, the quarterback took some ownership, claiming he was willing to do anything to make a deal happen.
Joe Burrow with a postgame bombshell:
“I’m confident we are going to do what it takes to get Tee (Higgins) back (in 2025).”
Said he is willing to do what it takes to make that happen. Mega statement. pic.twitter.com/GwpGSTQpBy
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) December 10, 2024
Immediately, fans of the Bengals came pouring out in support of their star. With a five-year, $275M contract under his name, the sacrifice would come from Burrow’s end to restructure his deal and accommodate Higgins. To them, the statement from their quarterback was yet another example of his leadership shining through.
Leadership at its finest
— James Wilson (@WilsonCoachx) December 10, 2024
With the gargantuan deal under his belt, the straightforward path would require restructuring the contract. Names like Patrick Mahomes, and Tom Brady before him, have taken to this model for years.
With Burrow looking to replicate their success in the Super Bowl, it checks out that he would follow in their footsteps.
Both Mahomes and Brady are celebrated as outstanding leaders for their respective teams, and rightfully so.
With this move, fans are ready to call him a true leader as well.
Taking a pay cut or reworking his contract. Sounds like a leader to me.
— Juice🧃 (@JuiceMan3x) December 10, 2024
The Cincinnati offense under Joe Burrow has been at its best with the two-headed monster leading the WR room. Between Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the team has two genuine WR1s.
For fans, it was imperative that Burrow also understood the value of keeping both on the squad. Without one or the other, the team would suffer “significant regression” and be “much less scary.”
Because Joe understands how valuable Tee Higgins is. If you lose him, the passing offense will have a significant regression. Will still be good, but will be a much different look. Much less scary to opponents.
— Cory Clark (@Cory_Clark9) December 10, 2024
Because it is the platform formerly known as Twitter, some users went the hilarious route.
Burrow let it slip on Hard Knocks that he was in possession of a Batmobile. Jokes about the quarterback returning the supercar were quick to make the rounds as well, with one fan directly impersonating how the conversation would go — “‘Hi I’d like to return this Batmobile sir.'”
“Hi I’d like to return this Batmobile sir”
— Skekscellent (@Skekscellent) December 10, 2024
But not everyone was on the same page. This season, the biggest question mark for the Bengals has been on the defensive end. While their 27.8 points per game places them as the sixth-highest mark in the league, their 27.7 points given up are fourth-worst. As a result, offense might not be the problem for these Bengals.
Instead, to some fans, the focus should instead be on defense rather than top-loading the QB and WR room. Specifically, the team has lost five different times despite scoring 27 or more. That is something that they need to rectify, according to fans.
They've proved all year that the offense doesn't need him to win. Spend that money on defense and we might actually win games when we score 30+!
— 🤑 Johnny Covers – Conductor of the Money Train!🤑 (@covers_johnny) December 10, 2024
But it isn’t just one contract that the Bengals have to worry about next season.
Beyond Higgins, an extension for Chase is also looming in the background. With WRs fetching a premium on the market, Cincinnati has an even tougher summer ahead of them.
Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase Next in Line for Contract Extensions
The Tee Higgins situation is rather straightforward. After a lengthy negotiation last season, neither side could come to an agreement, and the Bengals had to franchise tag him for $21.8 million. While another franchise tag could be in play, Higgins has made it clear that he’s looking for a multi-year deal. With the physicality of the sport and the position in general, it isn’t hard to imagine why.
But, even beyond Higgins, an extension for Chase is also on the horizon — his time is coming sooner rather than later. And he’s going to fetch top dollar.
The clear-cut WR1 on the team, Chase has doubled Higgins in receptions (93 vs. 45) and yards (1,319 to 581), though Higgins has missed a few games this year due to injury. As it stands, it’s clear who Cincinnati would prioritize between the two. However, the cost for Chase is going to be significantly higher.
Widely recognized as one of the two or three best WRs in the whole league, Chase would sign a deal in line with Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb this offseason. With the two signing deals worth $140 and $136 million this offseason, respectively, Chase would be right around that number if not higher.
That would allocate nearly $90 million on average to Burrow and Chase, depleting the rest of the team. It remains to be seen which direction Cincinnati chooses to go. Perhaps, a league shocker like the Tyreek Hill trade? Or do they continue with their current pair? The summer will be interesting at the very least for Bengals fans.