Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been a different player on and off the field this year.
In the midst of his MVP-caliber season, Burrow has been more outspoken than ever during his press conferences. He hasn’t minced his words when asked questions about the status of his team or the direction in which he wants the front office to go.
On Tuesday as the Bengals prepare for their final game of the regular season, Burrow sent another message to Cincinnati’s front office.
In response to a question about angst when watching his former teammates go on to have success with other teams, Burrow had a lot to say.
“Whenever a great player leaves you wish you could have found a way to keep him,” Burrow said. “You don’t want to make a living out of letting great players leave the building. And I think that’s why you gotta do everything you can to get those deals done early.”
Burrow didn’t need to get into the specifics for everyone to understand who he’s talking about. The Bengals have struggled to retain some of their best players in recent years and Burrow isn’t interested in watching it happen anymore.
The Bengals opted not to re-sign their homegrown safety in Jessie Bates after two years of failed negotiations. Bates has gone on to be a Pro Bowler with the Atlanta Falcons and is arguably the best safety in the NFL.
Cincinnati’s front office never approached defensive tackle D.J. Reader ahead of his final season with the Bengals about an extension. Reader ended up choosing to sign with the Detroit Lions in free agency and has been a key piece of a Super Bowl caliber defense. The Bengals never replaced Reader’s production on the field or his leadership in the locker room. Reader was a team captain for the Bengals and was widely praised for keeping his teammates accountable.
This is all in addition to the Bengals’ ongoing saga with Tee Higgins, while now Ja’Marr Chase has entered the conversation. Cincinnati has been unable to agree on a contract extension with Higgins for two years now and failed to get a deal done with Chase ahead of this season.
In a league that is matchup driven, retaining your best players – especially the one’s you draft who are important leaders in the locker room is necessary to compete for a Super Bowl every year.
The Bengals were able to get a deal done with Burrow in necessary time. That didn’t happen with Chase and it’s now going to cost the Bengals more money. Cincinnati’s ownership got close with Chase on a long-term extension before Week 1 but the two sides were unable to get the deal across the finish line due to cash flow reasons.
When it’s all said and done, Chase will be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson reset the market when he signed a four-year $140 million contract that included $110 million guaranteed. Jefferson makes $35 million per year on his new contract. Chase is expected to top that number on an annual basis and the urgency between Chase’s representation and the Bengals will have to get it done as soon as possible after the conclusion of the season.
Chase expressed his disappointment to not have the deal secured before the season and has gone on to have his best professional season and is in line to capture the coveted triple crown title. Heading into Week 18, Chase leads the NFL in receiving yards, catches and touchdowns.
His performance this season combined with the Bengals taking a gamble in waiting one more year to pay him will cost the front office in negotiations. Chase will be asking for more money on his deal than he did ahead of this season.
Both sides bet on themselves when they didn’t get the deal done before Week 1 and it’s going to work out in Chase’s favor.
The Higgins debacle is one of the more complicated situations to digest in recent years. When the Bengals tagged Higgins this offseason, it was widely assumed this would be Higgins’ last year with the Bengals.
Things changed mid-way though the season from Higgins, Chase and Burrow’s stance it appears. The Enquirer reported Higgins parted ways with NFL agent David Mulugheta and hired Chase’s agent, Rocky Arceneaux.
The goal for Higgins, Chase and Burrow is to keep playing together for as long as they can. Burrow has publicly expressed his desire to keep Higgins in addition to Chase. He believes there’s a world that can happen.
Burrow said Higgins is a “need” for this team moving forward and then doubled down on his comments on Tuesday when asked about Higgins’ future with the Bengals.
“It’s obviously a possibility (of not keeping Higgins) – not one that I’m excited about but that’s not in the plans, I would say,” Burrow said.
The Bengals have one more scheduled game to play. If they beat the Steelers and get some help from other teams, there’s still a possibility they can sneak into the playoffs and that would keep talks about the future off the table for at least one more week.
But when the season ends, Burrow has made his stance clear on his expectations for this offseason from the Bengals’ front office: Get long-term deals done for Chase and Higgins and keep the trio together.
