Bengals should follow Cowboys' lead on Chase Brown extension (but won't)

When the Cincinnati Bengals extended their last franchise running back, Joe Mixon, they gave him a four-year, $48 million deal. Quite a nice payday. Except that only $10 million of that contract was guaranteed salary.

Chase Brown is one of the rare draft diamonds in the rough Duke Tobin and his minions have scored in recent years. Brown is a well-established feature back. He deserves an extension this offseason.

As reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Dallas Cowboys shelled out $24 million over three years to re-sign Javonte Williams. Notice the difference between Mixon's aforementioned 20.8% guaranteed money at initial signing versus Williams' guarantees.

Javonte Williams gives Bengals perfect blueprint for Chase Brown extension. They won't follow it.

A sixty-six percent guarantee for Javonte Williams. I recognize that the Cowboys are the most valuable franchise in major sports. They can throw guaranteed money around with a lot more liberty than the Bengals.

However, with the NFL's revenue sharing, no team is "poor" anymore. Williams is at least a comparable player to Brown. Even if Brown is a tad more expensive, what's stopping Cincinnati from just getting a three-year, $33 million deal done, with a healthy $17 million guaranteed?

"An antiquated football operation" is the answer.

I will say this forever until something changes. The Bengals should be ingratiating themselves as much as possible to their current players. They have a "cheap" reputation for a reason. They remain cheap whenever they can be in spite of how much the salary cap increases every year and how much league-wide NFL business is booming.

Cincinnati's front office has forced Tee Higgins to resort to a trade request. The same thing happened with Trey Hendrickson. Last offseason, the Bengals refused to guarantee any money beyond the first year of a prospective new Hendrickson contract.

Now guess what? Hendrickson wants no part of the organization. He's easily the top free agent on the open market. Someone will pay him what he's worth, and after an injury-riddled 2025 season, it's all but a lock that he'll have double-digit sacks with his new team.

Next in line to be alienated by the Bengals' geniuses in major positions of influence? Chase Brown. Mixon's time ended ugly in Cincinnati. A pay cut. An unceremonious trade to Houston.

The funny thing is, I bet the Bengals are feeling themselves for how they handled both Mixon and Hendrickson. Injuries befell them in 2025. Brown was a capable successor to Mixon.

Only now, it's time to pay up for Brown. We'll see if Cincinnati does it, or estranges yet another core player who's absolutely crucial to Joe Burrow's future.