The Bengals had no choice but to pay Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but the way it was handled with their own fault.

The Cincinnati Bengals are one of only two teams in the NFL that don't have a general manager, but it seems like they might have one now: Joe Burrow.  Sure, he's actually the quarterback, but he might as well be the Bengals' general manager because he was the catalyst for Cincinnati's two biggest moves of the 2025 offseason and those were the new deals for Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins that came on Sunday night.

Tee Higgins has secured his long-term future in Cincinnati, agreeing to a four-year, $115 million contract extension with the Bengals, per FOX’s Jordan Schultz. The deal reportedly includes incentives that could push his earnings beyond $30 million per year,