Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have each made their intentions clear: They want to play together.
Despite playing just two combined seasons together, the trio has already helped lead the Bengals to a Super Bowl, consecutive division titles for the first time in franchise history and back-to-back conference championship game appearances.
They’re not just playing better together. The trio is having fun together. So much so that they’ve made an argument for being considered the “Big Three” of the Bengals and one of the better trios in the entire league.
Nothing lasts forever, especially in the NFL, but Chase, Higgins and Burrow want to make their time in Cincinnati as extended and memorable as possible.
Wishing for that is easier said than done and even they’ve acknowledged that. Burrow is almost guaranteed to get an extension this offseason. Although Chase isn’t up for one until 2024, that could put him in the upper tier of wide receiver deals, which could pose to be a challenge for extending Higgins with only so much cap space to go around.
On top of the fact that the Bengals will likely watch some free agents walk away, like safety Jessie Bates or linebacker Germaine Pratt, and may weigh the possibility of releasing players to help expand the team’s cap space. All of that is still up in the air but those factors could determine the range of how far the Bengals can go to keep all three together.
Is the idea of having all three together long-term wishful thinking? Or will Burrow, Chase and Higgins be willing to take a slight pay cut if it means that they will be together for the foreseeable future.
With all of that said, Higgins isn’t the only one on the roster eligible for an extension. Linebacker Logan Wilson is entering the final year of his contract and he’s up for an extension or a fifth-year option being picked up. His impact on defense can’t be overstated as he was a consistent third-down linebacker last year even while he battled through a shoulder injury.
If things only weren’t more difficult for the Bengals’ front office. How much more difficult though?
The Strictly Stripes crew revisits what a Higgins extension would look like in the shadow of Burrow’s looming big deal. After weighing in those factors, they consider the possibility of what a Wilson extension should look like and how possible that is to materialize.
Bengals team reporter and senior producer Marisa Contipelli joins the crew to weigh in her thoughts on what those respective extensions could look like and how they will shape the Bengals’ offseason.
This podcast features Mohammad Ahmad and Michael Niziolek.
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