The Cincinnati Bengals got it right by doing the big contract extensions for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, keeping Joe Burrow happy and the Super Bowl window open.
But the Bengals remaining stubbornly in their ways in the process is a red flag. So, too, is an overarching theme of the offseason that registers as very concerning:
The Bengals are paying more for roughly the same team as last year.
This trend started long before the Chase and Higgins contracts. They paid up to bring B.J. Hill, Joseph Ossai, Cody Ford and Mike Gesicki back. Small additions like running back Samaje Perine, guard Lucas Patrick and linebacker Oren Burks didn’t swing the needle much.
Cincinnati has gambled that overhauling the coaching staff will be the one thing that dramatically changes things for one of the NFL’s worst defenses last year. It places all of the blame on the now-fired Lou Anarumo, rolling the dice on younger players like Myles Murphy, Jordan Battle and a youth movement at cornerback to swing things in a big way.
And that’s before even looking at the Chase and Higgins extensions.
As Andre Perrotta pointed out, while it seemed obvious that 2025 cap hits for Chase and Higgins would fall after extensions, the Bengals actually went the other direction:
Some could handwave this as nitpicking, which is fair. They got both guys back, sure. But to keep it simplistic, gobbling up a bunch of cap space right now to save minimal cap space in future years as the salary cap keeps jumping is a strange choice and not what most teams do with these big extensions.
As such, it almost feels like a signal that the Bengals are done in free agency. That’s a dangerous place for them to live. Again, they’re banking on largely the same defense and haven’t addressed other glaring holes on the roster, such as guard in front of Joe Burrow. The interior and pass-rushing edges of the defensive line need help, too.
Maybe that wouldn’t be so concerning if the Bengals had displayed better drafting acumen in recent years. But the current setup begs for rookies to come in right away and have an impact, which is almost a strange stance to take when they’re supposedly also in win-now mode.
While in win-now mode, teams generally exhaust every option possible to compete, including cap space. The Bengals aren’t doing that and appear to hope for a cake-and-eat-it-too situation. It’s a gamble that could pay off, yes, but a risky play that unnecessarily avoids some of the staples of modern all-in pursuits around a franchise quarterback.