This would be a wild development.
When it comes to the future of the Cincinnati Bengals' star receivers, the common assumption has been that the team would opt to sign Ja'Marr Chase to a major extension and allow Tee Higgins to walk in free agency over the offseason. But, could the opposite outcome actually occur?
ESPN insider wonders if Ja'marr Chase's upcoming extension will be too rich for Cincinnati's blood
In a recent report, ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano floated out the idea that Chase has played so well this season that he could have potentially boosted his own value to an amount that the Bengals could be uncomfortable paying. In that scenario, keeping Higgins and trading Chase would be an option.
"Now [Chase] could expect to be the league’s highest-paid receiver (which means more than Justin Jefferson’s $35 million per year),” Graziano wrote. “There are a number of teams around the NFL who believe that’s too much to pay a wide receiver, regardless of his talent. If the Bengals turn out to be such a team, is it possible they’d pivot? Signing Higgins would be both their best leverage against Chase in negotiations and their best insurance against losing him.”
"... But they could still sign [Higgins] after the season ends and before free agency opens in March, presumably for less than $35 million a year," he added. "That likely would mean trading Chase, who is under contract for 2025 for a guaranteed $21.86 million on his fifth-year option. Cincinnati could surely find a taker."
It's important to point out that this is simply speculative on Graziano's part. It's not a sourced report or anything, but it's still extremely intriguing. For so long it felt like a foregone conclusion that Higgins would be the odd man out in Cincinnati, but maybe that won't be the case.
This speculation comes on the heels of some eye-opening comments from Joe Burrow in which he expressed some serious optimism regarding Cincinnati's ability to bring back Higgins.
"I am confident we are going to be able to do what it takes to bring Tee back," Burrow said. "That I’m going to do what it takes to get him back and so is he. We’ve had those talks. Those are going to be offseason discussions but I think we are excited about that opportunity."
Burrow doesn't say things just to say them, so perhaps he knows something we don't. What we do know though, is that Higgins remaining in Cincinnati beyond the current campaign suddenly seems like much more of a possibility than it did a few weeks ago.
With that said, the idea of opting against paying Chase seems ludicrous. He's been the best receiver in the entire NFL this season, and his chemistry with Burrow is off the charts. Breaking up that duo would be malpractice of the highest order.
Ideally, the Bengals would be able to find a way to pay both Chase and Higgins. Doing so won't be easy, but it isn't impossible. The Philadelphia Eagles were able to do something similar with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, so there is a precedent.
One way or another, it's going to be an interesting offseason in Cincinnati.
