Saturday night could be the final game that Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins share a football field as teammates. Higgins, who was franchise-tagged by the Bengals this past offseason, is expected to enter free agency this offseason unless he and the Bengals are able to come to terms on a new deal prior to the start of the league's new year.
When asked about the possibility of Cincinnati's Week 18 showdown with Pittsburgh being his final game with Higgins, Burrow sent a poignant message to his front office after it unsuccessfully tried to sign both Higgins and Chase to long-term deals this past offseason. Burrow clearly wants the Bengals' front office to handle contract situations more aggressively than is has in years past.
"Whenever a great player leaves, you wish you could have found a way to keep him. You don't want to make a living out of letting great players leave the building," Burrow said. "I think that's why you've got to do everything you can to get those deals done early."
The futures of both Higgins and Chase (who is nearing the end of his rookie contract) have been hot-button topics all year in Cincinnati, as the team's fan base hopes that the Bengals' front office finds a way to keep the trio together for the foreseeable future.
All three players have recently expressed optimism that that can indeed happen. It may, however, require some sacrifices from all three players.
Starting with 2025, Burrow will accrue an annual cap hit that will start at over $46 million and is slated to reach almost $69 million by the final year of his deal (in 2029). Chase's projected annual market value calls for him to make $32.8 million annually. Higgins' projected market value is currently $20.7 million annually, although he could likely get more than that on the open market if a team sees him as a No. 1 receiver.
Yes, the Bengals can conceivably keep all three, but that could restrict them from re-signing other key players as well as signing top free agents. This would obviously put a bigger importance on the Bengals hitting on their draft picks, which has been touch and go over the past few years.
The trio has once again showed how productive they are together this season when healthy. Burrow leads the NFL in passing yards and touchdown passes. Chase is on pace to become the fifth player since the merger to win the coveted "triple crown." Higgins has caught a career-high 10 touchdowns this year despite missing five games due to injury.
Burrow is hoping for at least one more game with both players this year beyond Saturday night's game with the Steelers. For that to happen, the Bengals need to win and have the Dolphins and Broncos lose their respective Week 18 games in order to make the playoffs.
