Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow has made it abundantly clear that he wants to see the Bengals lock up key contributors like Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on long-term deals this offseason, and he used his Pro Bowl platform to further hammer the point home.
Joe Burrow says several Bengals players 'deserve to be paid what they're worth'
While speaking with ESPN during the Pro Bowl Games Skills Showdown, Burrow said that Chase has done more than enough to prove his value to the franchise, and that he's not the only one.
“I don’t know what more he could show and do to prove himself," Burrow said on ESPN. "We have several guys like that, who have stepped up for us, and deserve to be paid ... and deserve to be paid what they’re worth.”
In addition to Chase, Burrow was also likely referring to Higgins and dominant defensive end Trey Hendrickson. 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.
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Earlier this week, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said that getting a deal done with Chase was a "priority" for the team over the offseason, while also acknowledging that Hendrickson deserves a raise as a result of his productive play.
“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 more complicated, because as much as the Bengals would like to keep him in Cincinnati, his market value might be too high to handle for an organization with a plethora of other needs.
"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."
The Bengals have some major decisions to make over the offseason, and it's clear what Burrow wants to see done, but as Tobin stated, wanting something is easy, but actually making it happen can prove more difficult.
"And yes, it's easy to want Tee Higgins back," Tobin said. "I want Tee Higgins back too. It's all about finding a contract that works for both sides, and if we're really engaged with his representation at doing that, I think we can get it done."