Cincinnati heads into a momentous offseason with wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins among several key Bengals seeking long-term deals.
Joe Burrow is "confident" the Bengals can keep the band together.
"We've had those preliminary discussions. It's really early in the offseason, so those guys and their agents will start to have those discussions coming up," Burrow told 国产外流网Network's Maurice Jones-Drew on Thursday on Super Bowl LIVE. "But we're confident that we're going to be able to do what it takes. We all want to stay together, so we want to make it work."
Burrow has utilized Chase and Higgins to become one of the league's most proficient passers. The Bengals quarterback led the 国产外流网in passing yards (4,918) and touchdowns (43) in 2024 while producing an impressive 108.5 passer rating in 2024. His career-best season statistically has him as a finalist for three the AP's Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year awards, which will be announced Thursday night at 国产外流网Honors.
It's no surprise why Burrow would like to keep the dynamic WR duo intact. Chase, 24, is coming off an incredible season where he achieved the receiving triple crown after leading the league in receptions (127), yards (1,708) and touchdowns (17). Higgins, 26, generated 73 catches for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games played this past season.
Chase's desire for a new contract dates back to last summer when he sat out training camp with the hope of stimulating action. Higgins, too, nudged the Bengals in the form of a short-lived trade request after the club designated him with a franchise tag.
It resulted in a slow start for the Bengals in 2024, dropping four of the season's first five games and creating a hole which proved too deep for Cincinnati to climb out of despite ending the year with a five-game win streak.
"We have to find a way to play better in September," Burrow said. "We didn't have Ja'Marr for training camp, we didn't have Tee for training camp for most of it. That's not an excuse. We've got to play better early on. Whatever it takes to do that, whether it's preseason reps, joint practices, guys taking the offseason more seriously. I don't know what it is, but we'll have those discussions to try to get that fixed."
Chase enters the final year of his rookie contract in 2025 while Higgins is on the brink of free agency yet again. Burrow's top wideouts aren't the only key players shouldering question marks entering the offseason, either, with Trey Hendrickson -- 2024's sack champion -- making it known he'd like to receive some long-term security in the coming months.
While the Bengals have seemingly kicked the can on ensuring a roster that made Super Bowl LVI is maintained for the long haul, Burrow's confidence in the organization isn't shaken.
