Joe Burrow puts even more pressure on the Bengals' front office to reward his star teammates
It wasn't how the Cincinnati Bengals drew it up, but they finally got back in the win column Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys.Recovering their own blocked punt is certainly a lucky play that hasn't happened for the now 5-8 Bengals this season, but relying on Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase? Some things never change. […]
It wasn't how the Cincinnati Bengals drew it up, but they finally got back in the win column Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys.
Recovering their own blocked punt is certainly a lucky play that hasn't happened for the now 5-8 Bengals this season, but relying on Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase? Some things never change. Burrow finished with a fourth consecutive 300-yard, three touchdown performance thanks to 177 yards and two touchdowns from Chase, including the game-winning score that came from 40 yards out.
Burrow-to-Chase proved once again to be the deadliest combination in the NFL right now; one that the former doesn't want to see end anytime soon.
Joe Burrow sends two messages to the Bengals' front office
While Burrow has already been taken care of with a five-year, $275 million deal, Chase and his other star wideout Tee Higgins remains without long-term contracts from Cincinnati. The club came close towards locking Chase in for the future before the season began, but no cigar. 13 games later and Chase is on track to winning the receiver triple crown as the NFL's leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
A blank check is in order for Uno, and his quarterback agrees.
"I've been saying that for a long time," Burrow said about Chase deserving the bag. "He's a special player. He continues to make plays after the catch, before the catch, any way that you get him the ball he makes plays. he deserves all he's gonna get and more."
Chase wouldn't need 93 receptions, 1,319 yards and 15 touchdowns through just 13 games(!!!) for Cincinnati to focus in on extending him next year, but a little nudge from Burrow doesn't hurt. He's only played one season of football without Chase since 2018. He doesn’t want to add to that number any time soon,
"I haven't had that. I don't want to have that," Burrow said about playing without Chase. "Hopefully we can play together for as long as we're in this league together."
Higgins didn't have anywhere near the night his soon-to-be All-Pro running mate had, but Burrow still went to bat for him during his presser when asked about the 25-year old's future and contract status.
"I'm confident that I think we're gonna be able to do what it takes to bring Tee back," Burrow said. "And I know that I'm gonna do what it takes to get him back, and so is he. We've had those talks. Those are gonna be offseason discussions, but I think we're excited about that opportunity."
That's a surprising statement from Burrow. The belief is that Higgins will enter free agency in the offseason unless the Bengals place the franchise tag on him for a second time. The second tag would cost about $26 million, and as lucrative as that would be, it's still more likely than an extension materializing out of nowhere. Higgins and the front office have been far apart on contract talks since last year.
Burrow's words have always carried a great deal of weight. If he openly expresses confidence in something happening, the Bengals failing to pull through would look bad. It's not up to him to re-sign Higgins or even comment about the situation, but he's been consistently willing to address topics like that when pressed.
The ball will be in the Bengals' court to appease their franchise QB this offseason. The smart move would be to give him whatever he wants, or something more.
Bengals finally catch a lucky break and it was all possible thanks to a familiar face
Madness ensued at the end of the Bengals’ win over the Cowboys, and a former Cincinnati player was the cause of it.
