After a stressful few weeks for fans, players, and administrators alike, the deals with receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were finally secured.
Extension Details
Chase’s contract took precedence over Higgins’, and boy, was it a big one. Chase wanted to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, and he got exactly that. Over the next four years, he will make 161 million dollars. He earned this huge deal after the monster triple crown receiving season. Higgins was able to cash in a four-year 115 million dollar deal. Higgins has had a solid career up to this point, but many expected a trade after he was given the franchise tag, a fully guaranteed contract that keeps a player on for one year.
First Reactions and Implications
The Bengals were able to lock down their future at wide receiver for the next four years, but it did cost them heavily. The real question is why it happened now and not last year. They were stubborn to give Chase the contract he wanted last year and paid the price (literally) this year. When it comes to Chase, it was the only right decision. His offensive output is incredible, and he is just entering his prime. Besides, Burrow was beginning to get impatient with the standstill, and you have to please him. While it was most definitely an overpay, it was a decision that had to be made.
The biggest concern is the defense. The Bengals are the only team to pay 3 different players 25 million or more per year. With all those players coming on the offensive side of the ball, you have to have a plan on how to build a defense. Burrow and the offense were incredible last year, but the lack of a respectable defense lost them countless games. Hendrickson wants a deserved contract after the incredible season he had, but they simply do not have the resources to give him one. He is on the wrong side of thirty and is only getting older, so signing him long-term isn’t in their cards. Their best option is to build through the draft. Cincinnati has a long and ugly history of poor drafting, but if they want to win, they have to draft well. As they say, defense wins championships.
