Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has put a monstrous, MVP-level season this year, but it may go to waste, as the team is 8-8 and clinging to its chances of claiming the final wild-card playoff spot in the AFC.
Regardless of how this season turns out, the team will have some big decisions to make this season, starting with the contract situations of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the primary threats in their passing attack.
Just about everyone expects the Bengals to pay Chase, who is also having an incredible year, but Higgins is another story, and the Bengals may have to let Higgins go in order to pay Chase.
Burrow told the media just how integral Higgins is to Cincinnati’s hopes of winning a Super Bowl championship, per James Rapien.
“It’s not even just his production, it’s his presence… Tee is a need, yes,” Burrow said.
"It's not even just his production, it's his presence… Tee is a need, yes." – Joe Burrow on Tee Higgins https://t.co/alPKTx9mCr pic.twitter.com/rNyaNMOi7C
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) December 30, 2024
Burrow and Chase have had a symbiotic relationship — Burrow is leading the NFL in passing yards (4,641) and passing touchdowns (42), while Chase is the league’s leader in receptions (117), receiving yards (1,612) and receiving touchdowns (16), but Higgins takes plenty of pressure off of both men.
Higgins, despite missing five games due to injury, has caught 69 passes for 858 yards and 10 touchdowns this year, and he’s a big reason the Bengals have one of football’s top scoring offenses.
The big problem, however, is on defense, where they rank toward the bottom of the NFL in several metrics.
It is something that will need to be addressed along with the contract situations of Chase and Higgins in order to get the team back into the elite class of the league.
NEXT: Troy Aikman Reveals His NFL MVP Choice
