Cincinnati Bengals players, coaches and fans might spend the next few days, weeks or even months lamenting what could have been during their 2024-25 NFL season.
The front office can't afford to think like that. The offseason's arrival necessitates a full mental shift toward the future, particularly with such a daunting challenge ahead.
As these decision-makers look forward, though, they should remember the good times they've had—in particular, the almost comical levels of passing production produced by the trio of quarterback Joe Burrow and his top two receivers, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Chase needs to collect a mammoth-sized contract extension sooner than later, while Higgins is slated to reach free agency after spending this past campaign on the franchise tag.
Finding the funds to retain all three won't be easy, but letting this special collection of elite talent fracture would be even worse. And everyone knows it, including these three.
"Sources say the three have discussed playing together again for years to come," NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported. "It's their goal, and privately they have made no secret about it."
There will be, of course, a colossal cost to keep them together. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer recently opined that it might take "around $120 million" to have all three on the roster next season. Burrow is already making $55 million per year, and whenever Chase puts pen to paper on an extension, he might collect the richest salary ever given to a non-quarterback.
If the Bengals extend Chase and re-sign Higgins, who's arguably the top player at any position in free agency, they won't have a lot left to help cover the holes with the rest of their roster. That's not an excuse to let Higgins walk, though, but rather the next problem for the franchise's front office to solve after locking up this uber-talented trio.
Extending Chase and re-signing Higgins should be non-negotiables on Cincinnati's offseason check list. Burrow himself has already said as much.
"Whenever a great player leaves you wish you could have found a way to keep him," Burrow told reporters. "You don't want to make a living out of letting great players leave the building. And I think that's why you gotta do everything you can to get those deals done early."
The Bengals would be wise to heed that advice, and not only because their franchise quarterback delivered it. There's also the very real—and very obvious—fact that the one thing that could make this a special squad in the near future is Burrow routinely picking apart defenders while connecting with Chase and Higgins.
Burrow, for those who hadn't realized, just led the league in passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43). Chase fared even better, pacing the NFL in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708) and touchdown catches (17). Higgins wasn't quite as productive (73 receptions for 911 yards and 10 scores), but his numbers look a lot better when considering that injuries cost him five contests.
And in the 12 games Higgins played, the Bengals looked an awful lot like a member of the NFL's elite. They went 8-4 in those contests and all four defeats came against playoff teams—all by single-score deficits. They also averaged 34 points in those losses, so it's not like the offense failed to deliver against top competition.
Granted, the fact that 34 points per game weren't enough speaks to the idea that there are other areas to address on this roster. So does the fact that Burrow was sacked 48 times this season, tied for the fourth-most in the league.
In other words, extending Chase and re-signing Higgins won't cure all that ails this team. However, letting the latter walk would not only create a new issue, but it would also take away the one superpower this team has.
Cincinnati's future with Higgins might be tricky, but its future without him is a much taller task that no one associated with the Bengals should want to figure out.
