Strong words from the most vocal quarterback the team has had in a long time.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow joined the crew of ESPN’s “First Take” in New Orleans on Thursday morning and had an interesting discussion with Stephen A. Smith and the rest of the panel.
When Smith pressed Burrow about the Bengals needing to extend Trey Hendrickson and Ja’Marr Chase as well as re-sign Tee Higgins, reminding the quarterback who he plays for, Burrow had quite a bit to say on the subject.
“The cap is going up each year. We just got new TV deals,” he said in front of a crowd on Bourbon Street. “We all want to stay together. So we’re all going to do what it takes to do that. We have great players that have done great things and deserve to be paid.
“They’re going to be paid what they’re worth, whether we do it or somebody else. I hope we do it. I think we had the discussions that the guys are going to get paid that need to get paid. It’s a big offseason for the Bengals.”
That last sentence is a massive understatement. The Bengals finished with a 9-8 record, narrowly missing the playoffs, after Burrow put up MVP-worthy numbers, Chase won the Triple Crown and Hendrickson led the league in sacks. Now they have a new defensive coordinator in Al Golden and a single offseason to decide the face of several key players.
After failing to extend Chase before the 2024 season, which is going to cost the team quite a bit after the season he had, they’d be crazy not to get a deal done before 2025. Higgins is a free agent, and I doubt the Bengals will tag him again. Hendrickson has another year under contract with the Bengals but has racked up 35 sacks over the last two seasons, and he’s made it clear he wants an extension or a trade.
If the Bengals head into 2025 without Hendrickson and Higgins, it’ll be a blow not only to the offense and defense but to the morale of their teammates who hope to one day sign a big extension with the team they had success with.
Long-time Bengals fans, and even ones that showed up after the team’s Super Bowl run, know the Brown/Blackburn family isn’t known for shelling out big money. We’ve seen Jessie Bates III and DJ Reader leave for greener pastures, and the team paid for it. However, we also haven’t seen Burrow publicly speak out about his teammates’ contract situations like this before either.
Hopefully, this is a sign that there have already been discussions between the team and the stars they want to retain, and if it’s not, hopefully, Burrow’s comments help turn the screws on ownership to make sure Higgins, Chad, and Hendrickson all stay with him in Cincinnati for as long as possible.
The Bengals haven’t had a quarterback with the national star power that Burrow has since Boomer Esiason. Neither Carson Palmer nor Andy Dalton really emerged as a vocal leader for the team. Burrow’s popularity around the league and in Cincinnati could force the family’s hand if he keeps talking like this.
Check out the clip below:
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