The Cincinnati Bengals have several high profile players who could shortly be on their way out due to looming contract disputes. That is if Joe Burrow can’t convince the organization to spend all the money necessary to keep them around.
Burrow, who is coming off a career year from an individual standpoint, has been blessed throughout his NFL career with two elite-level wide receivers at his disposal.
Both Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase are set to command a significant amount of money on the open market. But before this is the case, Burrow made his plea for the Bengals to step in and pay them “what they are worth”.
“I don’t know what more he could show and do to prove himself,” said Burrow of Ja’Marr Chase at the 2025 Pro Bowl Games on Thursday. “We have several guys like that, who have stepped up for us and deserve to be paid. Deserve to be paid what they’re worth.”
Higgins is set to become an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason if he and the Bengals are unable to come to a new deal. Chase meanwhile has one year remaining due to the team accepting the fifth-year club option earlier this year before he hits the open market.
It sure seems like it is currently a real possibility that one of Higgins or Chase may not be in the Bengals long-term plans unless they find a way to make it work monetarily.
What makes matters even worse is that Chase and Higgins aren’t even the only stars on the team in need of a new deal. Bengals star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who will also hit free agency when Chase does after the 2025 season, is also in line for a massive new deal after leading the NFL in sacks this past season with 17.5.
Naturally, many Bengals fans agreed with Burrow and would love to see the organization retain their star players.
He ain’t lying
— OC21 (@IAmOC21) January 31, 2025
Joe’s putting his foot on the ownerships neck. I like it.
— Jungle Rat (@JungleRat55) January 31, 2025
Regardless of how the Bengals get it done, Burrow clearly wants all three of these players back for the long haul. And keeping Burrow happy is almost certainly the top priority of the Bengals organization.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.