The Cincinnati Bengals are on a two-year hiatus from the NFL playoffs, but the franchise is confident that it has the requisite talent on its roster to be Super Bowl contenders year in and year out.
So confident, in fact, that the Bengals secured star quarterback Joe Burrow’s top two targets, wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, to massive contract extensions this offseason, including a deal that made Chase the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history at the time.
Chase and Higgins make up the most formidable duo of wide receivers in the NFL, and they know that they’ll have a lot to live up to after inking such major deals.
“I’m pretty sure that’s the big thing Cincinnati wants us to do, too,” Chase told ESPN. “And not just Cincinnati, the fans and everyone around. You got to prove ourselves all over again.”
Chase also touched on the journeys he and Higgins have been on as they’ve helped turn the Bengals into a franchise with real expectations.
“I think it’s been a good journey,” said Chase, whose comments were part of a marketing tour with General Mills and the company’s Lucky Charms cereal brand. “I know Tee’s been on a different journey than I have, with two different boats we’ve been in. But we just basically added our boats together now, just learning from each other, building with each other.”
Still, Chase knows that the Bengals have to prove themselves and get back to the pinnacle of the sport if they want to bring home the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in franchise history.
“We can’t dwell on what we did in 2021 and 2022,” Chase said. “So like I said, we have to show it all over again and just prove ourselves.”
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.