The Bengals have themselves to blame for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins’ huge extensions

It took almost two years and moments of public frustration from almost everyone involved, the Bengals finally got WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins paid. Chase at $40.25 million is the highest paid non-QB in NFL history, while Higgins at $28.75 million makes him the highest paid WR2 in the NFL.

All in all, the annual per year total between Chase and Higgins is the highest paid wide receiver duo in the NFL, and almost three times as much as their starting offensive line. Despite how insanely high the numbers are on Chase and Higgins’ salaries, the Bengals simply had no choice but to pay them, due to not only their own inactivity but the public pressure put on them by the players that matter the most.

The Bengals, as it’s well known, are historically cheap. A billion dollar franchise run like a mom and pop shop doesn’t really give out big money deals, and Cincy deserves some blame for letting it get to this point. Proactive franchises give out deals to their elite players before the bubble bursts (cough cough, Dallas), temporarily resetting the market before the numbers get way too high. A good example of this is the Philadelphia Eagles paying WRs AJ Brown and Devonta Smith well before the cap burst open. Or even the Broncos signing CB Patrick Surtain II at $24 million per year before the cornerback market blew that up out the water this offseason.

The Bengals sat idle while frustrating their star receivers, but more importantly the price tag went up for players of their caliber. As big as the price tag is, the Bengals had to pay it to keep their highest priority happy: QB Joe Burrow. Burrow’s public pressure, which included saying after a win against the Dallas Cowboys that he’s “confident the team will do what it takes” to bring Higgins back, and at the Super Bowl mentioned specifically Higgins, Chase, EDGE Trey Hendrickson and TE Mike Gesicki as guys he wanted the Bengals to get deals done with. Now, only one of them are left.

As important all the finances are in the conversation around the Chase and Higgins deal, the reason the Bengals had to do this is based on one number: 34. That’s the amount of wins the Bengals have when Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins all play together. Yes, they haven’t addressed the offensive line very well since they’ve all been in orange and black. Yes, their drafting outside of those three has been quite bad, to be frank. And yes, the defense is still in a place where if star EDGE Trey Hendrickson is in fact traded, there’s zero impact players on that side of the ball despite drafting heavily on that side of the ball. Yet, as long as Burrow, Chase and Higgins are on this team long term, the Bengals’ identity remains intact.

Cincinnati had to do this because this is who they are. They couldn’t afford to let Higgins walk in free agency, because the Bengals are a better team with Higgins and Chase on the field together. How Cincinnati goes about drafting to support the team while these three massive contracts eat up the cap (and whatever happens with Hendrickson goes down) will be the biggest question from here, but the long and short of it is pretty simple:

The Bengals’ identity is in their three best players, and they can’t afford to ruin that.