The next few days could be monumental for the future of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Director of player personnel Duke Tobin made it clear this week that the club intends on signing Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase, and Trey Hendrickson to new multi-year contracts. The earlier the deals come together, the better the team can map out the rest of the offseason. 

There seems to be momentum for one of those deals, not much for another, and confirmed uncertainty with another.

Bengals are honing in on Higgins right now

Logically, it makes the most sense to take care of Higgins first. The Bengals have until Tuesday, March 4 to potentially place the franchise tag on Higgins for the second consecutive year. 

Per The Athletic's Dianna Russini, Cincinnati is pushing for a deal to get done and have not notified Higgins if the tag will be placed on him or not. 

With the possibility of the franchise tag being placed on Tee Higgins, I was told Bengals decision-makers are stressing the need to get a long-term deal done with 26-year-old. The organization has not informed Higgins’ side about whether he will be tagged before Tuesday’s deadline. – The Athletic's Diana Russini

This confirms the belief that if the Bengals were to use the tag on Higgins again, it would be to nail down a long-term deal afterwards. Based on Russini's report, it sounds like the club would rather get the deal done before having to use the tag at all.

Chase appears to be next for Cincinnati, but both sides aren't there yet

Once Higgins is taken care of, the next priority appears to be Chase. Per Russini, the Bengals have made an offer to their All-Pro receiver, but it's not what Chase's camp is looking for.

Meanwhile, Chase is expected to reset the non-QB market. An offer has been made by Cincinnati, but the two sides remain far apart in talks for now. – The Athletic's Diana Russini

Tobin and head coach Zac Taylor both confirmed the team is set to make Chase the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. What that looks like exactly remains to be seen, but an educated projection puts it near the $40 million per year range.

Chase is still under contract for the 2025 season, so there's ample time to hammer down a deal before the offseason ramps up with workouts and training camp. The Bengals would likely want to get across the goal line here prior to free agency starting so they'd have a clearer picture of their financial situation.  

Hendrickson figures to be third in order 

Hendrickson is in the same boat as Chase since he's also under contract for 2025, but he's also older and doesn't have as much leverage. Russini's reporting points to his deal being the least-likely to materialize. 

If the Bengals can’t get deals done with all three, Hendrickson is most likely to be the odd man out. – The Athletic's Diana Russini 

Despite the Bengals' intent on extending his contract for the second time in two years, it's apparent the front office will prioritizing its two receivers in their mid-20s over the 30-year old Hendrickson if it comes down to that. 

The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. reported this to be the case earlier in the week:

Inevitably, Tobin was pushing Hendrickson down the priority list in terms of timing behind Chase and Higgins. The other side of this is what happens if the sides can’t agree on what an extension looks like in terms of years and value. – The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr.

This doesn't mean the Bengals aren't still pushing to get this deal done, but it might take longer compared to Higgins and Chase. 

Hendrickson drew his line in the sand early in February, claiming he'd want to be traded if a deal can't be reached. His representation was then set to meet with the Bengals later in the month, and he double-downed on his original statement this week.

If the Bengals do trade Hendrickson as a worst-case scenario, it would happen prior to the 2025 NFL Draft in late April. I'd expect negotiations to continue up until then. If no deal can be reached, then a trade involving draft capital should be the expectation. 

Again, this is all assuming the Bengals lose their sense of aggression in signing Hendrickson after Higgins and Chase sign their respective deals. It's not what the team wants to happen, but it's become a pretty likely future should the dominoes fall that way.

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