The Cincinnati Bengals have much to do this offseason in order to be considered surefire contenders in 2025.
While Joe Burrow (and fans) rightfully view the contention window as open for the duration of the star quarterback’s career, 2024 really put that to the test, considering he had an MVP-like year, a Triple Crown wideout and the NFL’s sack leader.
Hence, names like ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler only putting the Bengals as a “teetering” contender in his overhaul tiers:
What’s next: The Bengals’ threshold for spending will be tested more than any other team this offseason. Three of their top stars — Ja’Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson and Tee Higgins — need new deals. Chase and Hendrickson are 2026 free agents who have no interest in playing out their current deals, and both can command well above $30 million per year. Heck, Chase might try to push for $40 million. Higgins, a free agent, will be difficult to keep, as many teams project him pushing the threshold of $30 million per year. And that’s not even counting the need to improve the defense at several positions that have aged or underperformed. It will be fascinating to see how the Bengals’ front office handles it all. At least it has money to spend, with more than $40 million in cap space. It can create more by releasing Sam Hubbard ($9.6 million) and Sheldon Rankins ($9.5 million).
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We and others often describe this as the most important offseason in Bengals history for a reason.
It’s a pivot point — if they botch Chase’s extension talks and a holdout bleeds into the regular season again, another slow start is inevitable. If Higgins doesn’t get a fair deal and come back, how do they replace him? If they don’t keep Trey Hendrickson happy and move on, who replaces him? What sort of message does it send to the locker room (and future outside free agents) if they aren’t going to reward league-best players?
Those questions, plus general needed upgrades across the roster, have put the Bengals in a tough spot. Depending on how willing the front office is to spend in a modern manner, things could indeed swing either way in a hurry.