Love for professional athletes achieves critical mass when their value reaches a maximum point. The more success they bring in relative to how much they cost, the more untouchable they become in the eyes of their fans. 

Once they're paid what they rightfully deserve, the dynamic quickly transitions into something harsher and borderline unfair. 

Some fans of the Cincinnati Bengals don't know it yet, but this is going to happen to Joe Burrow. It's actually already happening.  

For as long as Burrow has been eligible for an extension (nine months to be exact), the idea of him accepting a hometown discount or a team-friendly deal lived within mainstream groupthink. The logic had connections. He plays for a franchise not known for guaranteeing contracts beyond the first year. He's surrounded by elite teammates who eventually need to get paid down the road. He's the only quarterback who's been legitimately compared to Tom Brady, the most accomplished player who filled his career with team-friendly salaries, and has shown signs of validating that comparison.

It all tracked to some degree, but Burrow going down this path was never going to happen, nor should it have. And this will cause discontent for a portion of the fanbase even though it shouldn't. 

I said this all the way back in February. Burrow might be the most important member of the Bengals' roster and everything that comes with that, but he is under no obligation to do more than his job description entails. He's extremely good at what he does on the field, and it's only right that he gets compensated properly for it.

That Burrow agreed to the largest contract in NFL history has nothing to do with his desire for the Bengals to be as competitive as possible. It's simply an understanding of what is and what isn't his responsibility. 

It's on the front office to build around Burrow and fairly compensate him. Expecting him to sacrifice his own earnings to give the franchise a break is simply not how any of this works, nor should it. 

i'm not here for some of these joe burrow contract takes. pic.twitter.com/peADndYOI0

— John Sheeran (@John__Sheeran) February 9, 2023

The ramifications being so direct only exacerbate things. Burrow wasn't the only superstar eligible for a new deal this offseason. Tee Higgins' representation has been pushing for an extension as the offseason wraps up, and recent reports aren't exactly optimistic about an agreement being reached. The latest came hours before the Burrow news dropped. 

Burrow's new Average Annual Value of $55 million with nearly $220 million guaranteed will inevitably be the center of the "Bengals can't pay everyone" conversation. The numbers are undoubtedly large, there's no denying that, but it's all relative to an ever-expanding salary cap and pile of cash the Bengals are accumulating.

Since Higgins is now in the forefront, let's make something abundantly clear. If the Bengals want to extend Tee Higgins, they can do it. What matters is how badly they want to do so. 

What Burrow's team accomplished Thursday evening has absolutely no bearing on what the Bengals can and can't do with Higgins, or with Ja'Marr Chase for that matter in a year's time. A deal that featured $50 million per year with $200 guaranteed, $45 million per year with $100 million guaranteed, or whatever constituted a "team-friendly" contract in today's climate would not have made a real difference. 

Yes, giving out a huge sum of cash and committing large future cap numbers to one player limits how much is left for the rest of the team, but like it ended up becoming with Burrow, it's all about prioritization.

The Bengals knew they had to prioritize their franchise quarterback because they had no other choice. They can also prioritize keeping Higgins (and Chase) as well without exceeding the salary cap. This becomes even more possible considering the timeline of their extensions. 

Burrow's large cap hits likely won't occur until a few years down the road. That means they'll have a window to fit large numbers for Higgins starting next year, and by the time Chase's behemoth cap hits come into the picture, the salary cap will have already ballooned much larger than what it is now. On top of this, the composition of the team will have already changed, and fewer massive deals will be on their books anyways. That part is simply inevitable regardless of what happens with the receivers. 

Does prioritizing Higgins and Chase mean they'll have to eventually go light elsewhere? Yes. A hard-cap sport will always provide limits at some point. The Bengals have not-so-secretly been working ahead of this by focusing the last two draft classes around the defense. Their top three picks over the last two drafts have all been in the secondary and defensive line. They locked in linebackers Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson on manageable deals as well. Most of their spending on the current offensive line is behind them.

Everything they've done since Burrow and his receivers provided proof of concept has led to the front office saving space for the trio. There's simply no reality in which they projected Burrow's deal, agreed to it, and came to the conclusion that affording Higgins and Chase would be impossible. 

Specifically with Higgins, if they come to accept his asking price is higher than they're willing to go, or they won't budge on guaranteeing salaries, that's a different story. But it's also their choice to stand against those things. Burrow didn't tie their hands together by simply earning what was rightfully his.

What the Bengals do now to keep their core together and continuing to supplement Burrow with a supporting cast is entirely up to their own conviction and willingness. And they know it.

Joe Burrow’s massive extension announced as the Chiefs begin their season

This is some interesting work by the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow.

Featured image via © Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK