(Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)
Before the Cincinnati Bengals can fully focus on trying to return to the Super Bowl and winning their first-ever Vince Lombardi Trophy, they need to figure out the contract situation of two of their biggest stars.
Wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are both up for contract extensions, and the Bengals may not be able to afford to pay both of them, especially after giving quarterback Joe Burrow a record contract several months ago.
On Fox Sports 1’s “First Things First,” Nick Wright said the Bengals should be “rushing” to pay Chase enough to keep him.
“If I were the Bengals, I would be RUSHING to pay him.”
— @getnickwright on Ja’Marr Chase pic.twitter.com/vaeeGp2wIX
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) August 14, 2024
Chase is Cincinnati’s biggest weapon on offense, and he has made the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons in the NFL.
Last season, even though Burrow was limited to 10 games, Chase caught 100 passes and had 1,216 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns, all of which were by far team highs.
Chase hasn’t been at practice, and this is a situation that could single-handedly prevent Cincinnati from accomplishing their ultimate goal.
The franchise has made three Super Bowl appearances, but it has never won the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and it lost in its most recent appearance there during the 2021 season to the Los Angeles Rams.
In its previous two appearances, which came in the 1980s, it fell to Joe Montana’s San Francisco 49ers.
The Bengals play in the NFL’s toughest division, and therefore, if they are to have a legitimate shot at getting to the big game, they will need both Chase and Higgins to have their futures settled.
The post Nick Wright Says Bengals Should Be Rushing To Pay 1 Player appeared first on The Cold Wire.