Cincinnati Bengals‘ executives might be shaking their heads after the recent wide receiver free agency market developments.
Davante Adams started the spree with a five-year, $141.25 million extension with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Then, Tyreek Hill agreed to a four-year, $120 million contract with the Miami Dolphins.
Stefon Diggs followed with a four-year, $104 million extension with the Buffalo Bills.
They will also get $65 million, $72.2 million, and $70 million in guaranteed money, respectively.
As ESPN’s Field Yates pointed out, those amounts should dictate the Bengals’ moves.
Ja’Marr Chase isn’t even extension eligible until 2024 but the Bengals should just start creating cap space now.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 6, 2022
Yates tweeted, “Ja’Marr Chase isn’t even extension eligible until 2024, but the Bengals should just start creating cap space now.”
That’s a valid point, even if the Bengals have two more seasons to offer Chase an extension.
He deserves the money that those Pro Bowl receivers will be getting, especially if he keeps the momentum from his impressive rookie season.
Chase won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors by finishing with 81 receptions, 1,455 yards, and 13 touchdowns.
His emergence helped Cincinnati complete the transformation from perennial losers to Super Bowl LVI participants.
Chase’s $7 million cap hit for the 2022 season is a massive bargain as they hope to return to the title game.
However, he’s not the only one the Bengals think of when they start clearing cap space.
Joe Burrow Is Up For An Extension
Joe Burrow will be entering his third NFL season, which is crucial because Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes got their massive extensions by year three.
Like Chase, his $9 million cap hit and $3.9 million base salary is a steal for the Bengals.
But if he continues to play well, Burrow can also command the same amount of money that his fellow AFC quarterbacks got.
If he wins MVP over the next two seasons, then he’s worth getting Aaron Rodgers money.
Therefore, the Bengals should embrace the possibility that a huge portion of their salary cap will be devoted to only two players.
There’s no other way around it because the market has already dictated the values.
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