The Cincinnati Bengals turned a lot of heads this offseason with their decision to spend big on offense at an unprecedented level. As it turns out, fans weren't the only ones left shocked.
You can count Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce among those wondering how in the world the Bengals will sort out the rest of their roster after committing considerable sums of money to their superstar trio on offense of quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
The Kelce brothers debated Cincy's approach on the latest episode of New Heights.
On the latest podcast episode of New Heights, both Travis and Jason Kelce weighed in on the latest NFL news and the Bengals' spending choices were tops on the list.
“For those who are wondering, yes Joe Burrow is making $55 million per year, Ja’Marr Chase making just over $40 mill a year and Tee Higgins making close to $30 million a year, that’s over $125 million per year in new money on just three offensive players," said Travis. "When you say it like that [Laughs], that is f---ing bonkers. I’m not saying it shouldn’t be done. It’s just never been done.”
Jason Kelce offered a counterpoint, which was important to note, that the salary cap's ongoing escalation will make certain amounts feel overwhelming. Yet, it's hard to know just how impactful those decisions will be in time.
Just to set the facts straight, the Bengals signed Burrow first to a five-year, $275M deal. Burrow wanted to keep his star receivers around town, so the Bengals dug deeper into their pockets in order to sign Chase to a four-year, $161M contract and Higgins to a four-year, $115M extension. To top it off, the Bengals are also reportedly interested in retaining Trey Hendrickson this offseason.
For his part, Kelce has always been arguably the NFL's most underpaid asset on any team as a superstar tight end who regularly out-produced nearly every wide receiver in the game. The market for tight ends has never been as robust as wideout, which has given the Chiefs a decisive advantage financially speaking.
Check out the full episode of New Heights below:
