Star quarterback Joe Burrow continues to preach positivity regarding Cincinnati's looming offseason contract decisions. When it comes to the Bengals' ability to lock up Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson on new, long-term contracts, many are skeptical. But Burrow believes that it can be done. Perhaps he's just trying to speak it into existence.
"Yeah, we can make it happen. We can make it happen," Burrow said during Pro Bowl weekend. "It just has to be right for everybody involved. I know the players wanna make it work, we all wanna be together. I don't see it not working out, but we'll see."
Higgins will be a free agent this offseason, while Hendrickson has one year remaining on his current contract. Both players requested trades last offseason due to a lack of long-term security. Hendrickson led the NFL in sacks in 2024 with 17.5, while Higgins had over 900 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns despite missing five games due to injury issues. Chase also has one year remaining on his current contract.
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Last week, Bengals de facto general manager Duke Tobin said that knocking out an extension for Chase was a "priority" for the team. Tobin also acknowledged that Hendrickson deserves a raise as a result of his productive play. However, he couldn't guarantee that the two sides would agree on a deal.
“Has he earned a pay raise and a bump in an extension … he has,” Tobin said of Hendrickson. “We’re cognizant of that, and we will give that to him. But whether we agree on what that looks like is, is what is to be determined.”
Higgins' situation is a little different, because while the team would like to keep him in Cincinnati, his market value might be too rich for the Bengals' blood. That fact isn't lost on anyone.
"And you know what we do with Tee going forward, I've always been very upfront in my desire to have Tee Higgins on our team," Tobin said. "I've never not been upfront about that, and that desire continues, but we have to be able to come together with his representation on what that means and what the right number is for his experience, for his play time, for his production."
Obviously Burrow would like all of the key contributors to stay with the team. Any quarterback would. But, campaigning for it to happen is about all he can do. It will be on the front office to figure out a way to make it happen. Unfortunately, that fact will probably make Bengals fans feel less optimistic than Burrow appears to be.