ARLINGTON, Texas — No one’s voice carries more weight in the Bengals’ organization than Joe Burrow.
So when he spoke up after Monday’s 27-20 win and said he’s sees a world where both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins could be back long-term with the Bengals in 2025, it was worth at least listening.
The reality is that it would seem almost impossible for the Bengals to follow the Miami Dolphins mold and sign two superstar receivers and a star quarterback and still address a woeful defense that let them down time after time in 2024.
But here’s the rub. If the Bengals – and Burrow – believe they’re going to live and die with their offense and the defense simply can’t be overhauled in 1-2 years to a Super Bowl level, then why not invest in the talent you already know rather than the talent you don’t. Burrow isn’t throwing to defensive tackles or edge rushers (at least not his own). He’s not targeting linebackers over the middle or safeties deep.
He wants his guys and wanted to let the front office know that he would be fully on board with that. He dropped an Easter egg of sorts after Monday’s game.
“We don’t know. Those discussion are ongoing,” Burrow said. “I’m confident we are going to be able to do what it takes to bring Tee back. I know that I am going to do what it takes to get him back. So he can have those talks; those are going to be offseason discussions. I think we are excited about that opportunity.”
And let’s not forget this little nugget that Burrow dropped last week when talking about wanting to play entertaining football.
“I want to win, but I want to be fun to watch. I always want to be fun to watch,” Burrow said. “I want people to see my command of the offense and accuracy and playmaking ability and everything that I bring to the table. But I want people to tune in to the Bengals and want to watch us. And I think people do. I take pride in the fact that we’re exciting. I’m exciting to watch. That’s something that I take pride in.”
Having Tee Higgins with Ja’Marr Chase increases that “fun” potential exponentially for Burrow. And it would seem apparent that if Burrow is mentioning that talks are ongoing then the front office is at least testing the waters with Higgins.
“We’ll see,” Burrow added cryptically.
Strategically, Burrow knows if Higgins is out there with Chase, then his life becomes significantly easier.
“You know, Tee out there makes teams play a little honest,” Burrow said. “Teams are going to mix up the coverages against us, they always do. I think our coaches are some of the best in the league at identifying what teams are trying to do to us and adjusting on the fly. I’m always really confident in my ability to read and react to what I’m seeing.
“The way teams play us, is they are going to mix up a lot of different defenses. They are going to blitz, they are going to drop, they are going to play double, they are going to do a lot of different things. Coming into this game, I was going to feed Ja’Marr. I felt in last week he had some opportunities last week that we didn’t quite take advantage of. So I was just going to make sure if I got an opportunity with him, I was going to give it to him.”
Certainly, the thought has crossed Chase’s mind.
“I do think about it sometimes,” Chase told me. “When I was sitting down, that actually ran across my brain. But I try to think too much
about it. That’s really ot ouf my control. I wish I could sign Tee myself and have him here with me for eternity.”
Then there’s this. Higgins has an undeniable injury history and has had trouble this year staying on the field. Would he be open to taking Cincinnati’s offer to stay in a position where he already has the trust of the organization and his teammates? That may seem silly to suggest but there is at least some uncertainty regarding his health that may suggest the Bengals have a crack of daylight.
As for offense first, Dan Marino and Dan Fouts would probably like a word (as mentioned here). But whatever, if that’s what will make Burrow happy AND Burrow is willing to CONSIDER restructuring part of his contract, then nothing is off the table.
And what if Tee Higgins makes a change with his representation? What if David Mulugheta isn’t representing Higgins anymore? That window of opportunity certainly gets propped open a little bit more.
Jermaine Burton has flashed some potential but not nearly enough to instill confidence that Burrow can look at him the way he looks at Higgins as a 1A to Chase.
Andrei Iosivas is – again – a solid, dependable target who can figure in Cincinnati’s receiving plans going forward. But he isn’t Tee Higgins. Even on a night when he had two catches on five targets for just 23 yards and nothing in the second half, Higgins mere presence aids Burrow’s performance greatly.
“You feel his presence when he is out there,” Burrow said. “You feel his presence; you feel how it affects the defense. You feel how it
affects the defensive coordinator’s calls. Even if he’s not super productive on the night, teams have to worry about him and feel his presence. The defense is worried about him and you feel that.
It is Christmas season and all this talk makes one wonder what it will take to get the three kings back with the Bengals.
Burrow is under contract at $275 million through 2029, with $219 million guaranteed. Ja’Marr Chase won’t settle for a penny less than $40 million per year of extension and somewhere around $100-110 million guaranteed. Tee Higgins has a nine-figure deal coming his way with likely at least $75 million guaranteed.
That’s before a single penny is spent on the defense. But a night like Monday night reminds us what is possible. If the defense simply improves modestly to average – like the ones that don’t have double-digit missed tackles every game – then you can rely on Burrow throwing three touchdowns, Ja’Marr Chase catching 14 passes for 177 yards and Tee Higgins being a high-level alternative to defend.
The 40-yard game-winning touchdown is simply a reminder of how elite Chase really is, making special look routine.
.@joeyb to @Real10jayy__ AGAIN!#ProBowlVote + #JoeBurrow#ProBowlVote + #JaMarrChase
Watch on ESPN/Disney+ pic.twitter.com/uoxTKtUCsZ
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 10, 2024
“He’s a special player,” Burrow said. “He continues to make plays after the catch, before the catch. Any way you get him the ball, he
makes plays. He deserves all he’s going to get and more.
“Not that. I don’t want to have that. We feed off each other. We make each other better. We are both really smart players.
It is tough to take that away when you have a really smart receiver that you can move around and do a lot of things with.
Hopefully we can play together as long as we are in this league together.”
“It’s possible. It’s 100 percent possible,” Chase said. “You’ve got to play chess in that situation, but it’s possible.”
The three kings took a stroll to midfield for the opening coin flip as game captains Monday night. They’re just hoping it wasn’t one final stroll for “making memories” as Chase put it last week.
“I don’t know. It was fun. It was the first time we had done that,” Burrow said. “I liked that trio right there. We’ve played a lot of football
together, made a lot of plays, scored a lot of touchdowns, won a lot of games. Us three are some of the best at what we do. And we’re great friends and continue to love playing with each other. I realized that in the moment, and that was kind of a moment.”
