After months of publicly campaigning for the Cincinnati Bengals to lock up both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on long-term contracts, it's safe to say that star quarterback Joe Burrow is pretty happy, and relieved, that the deals finally got done.
Both Chase and Higgins got massive four-year extensions from the organization, and now they'll be catching passes from Burrow in Cincinnati for the foreseeable future.
It's safe to say that Joe Burrow is happy that Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins will be staying in Cincinnati
While discussing the extensions for the star receivers, Burrow made sure to give credit to Cincinnati's front office for making sure to get deals done with both guys.
"I think everybody was confident we'd get Ja'Marr done," Burrow said. "But to be able to get Tee done along with that speaks volumes about ownership, Duke, Zac and their ability to get those things done.
"They're two of the best players at what they do," Burrow added of Chase and Higgins. "When you can re-sign guys like that and keep them around for an extended period of time, that gives you the best chance to go out and win Super Bowls and win a lot of games and win division championships. We got two of our best players re-signed. That's a big deal. Plus, Mike [Gesicki]. We're doing the right things."
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Burrow has played his entire professional career with Higgins, as both players were selected by Cincinnati in the 2020 NFL Draft. Chase joined the team the following year, and they've been one of the most potent trifectas in the league ever since. Understandably, Burrow is now feeling pretty optimistic about the future of the franchise.
"But for the next four years, you know what you're going to get from us and we're going to be right here," Burrow said. "We're paying the right guys. Guys who work really hard for what they have. Guys who aren't going to get complacent or anything like that. Guys who really care about the product they put on the field, and care about the fans and the organization and the people in the locker room. We've got the right guys."
We'll probably never know just how much impact Burrow's public campaigning had on Cincinnati's decisions to sign both Chase and Higgins to huge extensions, but it undoubtedly played a part. Burrow is arguably the most important player in franchise history, and the organization likely didn't want to draw his ire by declining to keep his top targets around.
By locking up both guys, it seems like the Bengals potentially averted a crisis -- or at least a potential trade request down the line from Burrow. The team still has work to do to improve the rest of the roster, but the star quarterback is clearly happy with the moves made so far this offseason.