ESPN considers Bengals a teetering contenders in 2025

What do you think, Bengals fans?

Now that the 2024 season is officially over, all eyes are on 2025. Free agency will begin soon, and after that, the Cincinnati Bengals—along with every other team—will shift their focus to the draft. It won’t be long before a very different 2025 team emerges from the ashes of 2024.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently categorized all 32 NFL teams into 11 tiers, ranging from “Still Major Contenders” to “Yep, Still Rebuilding.” He ranked them from No. 1 to No. 32 based on their likelihood of winning the Super Bowl in February 2026. Fowler placed the Bengals in the “Teetering Contenders” category at No. 8.

“The Bengals’ threshold for spending will be tested more than any other team this offseason,” wrote Fowler. “Three of their top stars — Ja’Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson and Tee Higgins — need new deals. Chase and Hendrickson are 2026 free agents who have no interest in playing out their current deals, and both can command well above $30 million per year. Heck, Chase might try to push for $40 million. Higgins, a free agent, will be difficult to keep, as many teams project him pushing the threshold of $30 million per year. And that’s not even counting the need to improve the defense at several positions that have aged or underperformed. It will be fascinating to see how the Bengals’ front office handles it all. At least it has money to spend, with more than $50 million in cap space. It can create more by releasing Sam Hubbard ($9.6 million) and Sheldon Rankins ($9.5 million).”

Fowler is right. The only way the Bengals can truly rebound from an incredibly disappointing 2024 season is by spending more than they ever have before. Chase winning the Triple Crown drove his price up, and despite Higgins’ injury issues, the Bengals—and the rest of the NFL—know what he’s capable of. Having to re-sign or extend two premium wide receivers and the league’s defending sack leader in one offseason won’t be easy. The team has historically avoided guaranteed contracts and typically shies away from players over 30.

If they do manage to secure all three for the next few years, they’ll still need to add free agents—unless they truly want to draft for need this year. Both guard positions are concerns, depth on the defensive line and at linebacker is nonexistent, and they may need to replace Mike Hilton as well.

The Bengals fired Lou Anarumo and brought Al Golden back to Cincinnati, hoping he can build a defense that better complements the high-powered offense—at the very least, to give Joe Burrow a legitimate shot in the playoffs. If the offense continues in 2025 where it left off in 2024 and the defense improves, their odds of winning the Super Bowl should climb much higher than “teetering.”

Where do you think the Bengals belong? Do they deserve to be “Teetering Contenders” with the Texans and Steelers? Or do you think they higher or lower? The 11 categories are:

1. Still major contenders
2. On the cusp
3. Need a postseason breakthrough
4. Teetering contenders
5. Headed on the right track
6. Stuck in the middle… but a move or two away
7. Stuck in QB purgatory
8. This could go either way
9. New coach, new direction
10. Rebuild in the works
11. Yep, still rebuilding