Cincinnati Bengals Trade Superstar Receiver Ja’Marr Chase in Bold 2024 Trade Scenario

While the Cincinnati Bengals have established a dominant offensive attack under head coach Zac Taylor, there is major concern as to what the salary cap situation is going to be heading forward.  After superstar quarterback Joe Burrow signed a monster contract extension worth $275 million, the combined salary cap weight of superstar wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins is enough to cost this team the rest of the talent on their entire roster.  This team is going to have to take a hard look at their financing if they want to extend the Super Bowl window under Burrow.

No Player Is Safe For Cincinnati Bengals Under Heavy Budget Pressure

While no one wants to lose homegrown superstars, Cincinnati needs to learn a lesson from the events that have unfolded with Higgins.  While this organization could have landed at least a first-round pick in the NFL Draft if they traded him twelve months ago, they currently are sitting with an unhappy player who will likely earn them at best a second-round selection at this point.  Even though every fan in the city would love to keep the talented receiver, the team needed to act decisively last season rather than just procrastinate on the inevitable contract battle as it seems they have.

While many fans are expecting this team to trade Higgins in the upcoming months, Chase is essentially two years away from the exact same situation but with a far steeper price tag.  After the Vikings landed former OPOTY award winner Justin Jefferson to an outrageous contract averaging $35 million per season, it is expected that Chase will cost the organization at least that.  While Higgins has claimed that he would settle for approximately $23 million per season, Chase will require an extra 50%.

Given the difference in anticipated contract value, it would actually be far more prudent for the franchise to trade Chase to a team like the New York Giants right now.  While it may seem like heresy to propose trading an offensive superstar, there is actually precedent for such a move.  In 2022, former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill demanded a record-breaking contract extension from his team.  Rather than cave to his demands, the Chiefs decided to trade their elite deep threat to the Miami Dolphins for a massive bounty including two first round picks.

Given the fact that the Chiefs have won back-to-back Super Bowls since the blockbuster trade, they certainly aren’t missing the speedster too much.  A trade involving Chase would likely produce a similar yield and allow the organization to maintain youth on the roster.  While losing the LSU product would be a tough blow to this offense, maintaining Higgins and potentially signing a free agent wide receiver like Mecole Hardman or Hunter Renfrow would extend the viability of this organization with Burrow at the helm.

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