The Cincinnati Bengals have had a lot of success in the past three years. This is thanks to their drafting prowess. Quarterback Joe Burrow has been a huge success after an injury in his rookie year. The wide receiver duo of Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase is one of the best in the league. Linebacker Logan Wilson is also a valuable young player on the defensive side of the ball. In a recent interview, Cincinnati Bengals president Mike Brown talked about prepping for the challenge of keeping all of these players.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71555804/1436000197.0.jpg "Cincinnati Bengals President Prepping For Contract Extensions Of Key Players 1")
Cincinnati Bengals President Prepping For Contract Extensions
Burrow, Higgins, and Wilson are all up for extensions this year with Chase being eligible next year. With the ballooning of quarterback and wide receiver contracts, it is going to be hard to keep everyone but not impossible. Brown had this to say about the situation.
“We have some good players that need to be fed. That’s a challenge. It’s mathematical. You get a bag of corn and you have 10 hogs. Well, you’re going to put that out to them. The bag’s going to be empty. And some of them aren’t going to get it.”
Having a team full of rookies that perform well is a huge advantage. The problem becomes when they need to get paid. Brown admitted that there may be some players that do not get fed.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71459102/1429092338.0.jpg "Cincinnati Bengals President Prepping For Contract Extensions Of Key Players 2")
Who Stays And Who Goes?
It seems impossible that the team would move on from Joe Burrow or Ja’Marr Chase. The connection those two players have and the production they bring is too valuable. The team has been vocal about not trading Higgins. Wilson might be the one on the outside looking in as linebacker is not a premium position. It might come down to if someone is willing to take a little bit of a discount. Would Higgins take a lesser salary in order to stick with Burrow and Chase? Would Chase or Burrow sign a more team friendly deal to help each other? This might be what it comes down to for the Bengals.
Contract extensions are looming for the Cincinnati Bengals. This makes 2023 an even more important year. After this year, the roster construction will become much more difficult.
