The Cincinnati Bengals are entering an extremely important offseason with some major decisions to make regarding key contributors like Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Trey Hendrickson and Mike Gesicki.
Those decisions could have a major impact on the rest of the league, so it's not an overstatement to say that all eyes will be on the Bengals in the coming weeks. If the Bengals don't agree to extensions with any of those three players mentioned above, the rest of the league will be waiting to pounce.
All eyes will be on the Bengals heading into the offseason, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter
As a result, the Bengals were recently listed as the league's most "interesting" team heading into the offseason by ESPN's Adam Schefter. Cincinnati beat out the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots and New York Jets to land the top spot.
The sheer number and magnitude of the major decisions facing the Bengals was the main reason they landed at the top of the list. From Schefter:
"Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is entering the final year of his contract and will be seeking to become the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history, in a deal that could average close to $40 million per season. Wideout Tee Higgins is set to be a free agent, and neither Chase nor quarterback Joe Burrow want to lose him. Meanwhile, Trey Hendrickson, the NFL's reigning sack leader, is entering the final year of a deal scheduled to pay him $16 million, and he has been seeking a new contract since last offseason. ... Cincinnati's offseason decisions loom as some of the most interesting and noteworthy in the league."
More Cincinnati Bengals news: Tee Higgins makes vague comment about his future ahead of free agency
If this were any other organization, the offseason probably wouldn't be as interesting, as most good teams simply pay their best players what they're worth and try to keep them around for as long as possible. This is the Bengals, though, a team notorious for being frugal and often unwilling to pay fair market value for their own guys.
Will that approach change this offseason? Star quarterback Joe Burrow certainly hopes so, as he has spent the past several months publicly campaigning for the team to retain talent.
“We have the cap space to get it done. I want to make it happen," Burrow said of Cincinnati's offseason status earlier this month. "Everybody involved, Trey, Tee, Ja’Marr and Mike Gesicki, we all want to stay together. When you have guys that are motivated like that I think you can get those things done.”
Fans in Cincinnati are also obviously hoping that the Bengals are able to keep the likes of Chase, Higgins and Henderson around. Gesicki has only played with the Bengals for one season, but he was an excellent addition last offseason, so bringing him back would also be a big boon.
Keeping everyone in Cincinnati won't be an easy task, but it shouldn't be an impossible one either. Let's see what the Bengals are able to do.