He is just about shot.
Oft-injured, skill/ability declining quickly due to the injuries.

He was due a big figure this year so it was inevitable he was going to have to take a major restructuring or paycut as well.

7 years is quick no doubt. But, it went out pretty well for him in my opinion:
- Local kid that got to play his career for his hometown pro team.
- Definitely one of the fan favorites over his career.
- Didn't have to get cut and play a year or two with another team at a severely diminished capacity.
- Had some definite memorable moments/big plays.
- The last play of his career was a TD reception on offense (that's pretty cool).

He was one of my favorite players on these recent teams.

Yep. Local kid. Appreciate everything he did but he's been hurt the last 2 years and it was time. Frees up a decent amount of cap too.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Bengals have taken the rare step of granting All-Pro DE Trey Hendrickson permission to seek a trade. “It’s been an honor and privilege to represent Cincinnati over the last four years,” said Hendrickson, the NFL’s sack leader. “I love this city and organization. I appreciate… <a href="https://t.co/7P7Hbe2Y9e">pic.twitter.com/7P7Hbe2Y9e</a></p>&mdash; Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1897743066720592111?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

They're basically the 03 Chiefs without a HOF coach.

Said that a few days ago.

Upscale Vermeil Chiefs.

Empty calories.

If they lose Hendrickson they're ****ed. Zero pass rush without him.

What a sad sack organization this is. Pathetic franchise that missed any small window they had.

Hendrickson is such a massive loss.

We are talking about an elite elite dude. He’s not Chris Jones, but he’s not all that far off either.

Trey is a BIG loss, but my favorite part of ANY Bengals offseason is when they bring Zac Taylor back for another year.LMAO

LMAO

Your shit defense has already gotten worse this offseason.

But enjoy anchoring your salary cap down to the top of the WR depth chart.

Bengals watched the Chiefs trade a top 5 receiver in the league instead of paying him and go to three straight superbowls.

Cincinnati is now on the verge of signing two receivers to big deals.

Can’t make this stuff up

Can you blame them that much? They know Burrow would be exposed as a total fraud without either one of them and they can't have that.

Have the Bengals won their last game ever?

Most likely.

Probably not. They do play the Jets occasionally.

Those games will be canceled with both teams being given a loss for conduct detrimental to the league.

Bengals have a lot of cap space. Let's see if they spend it.

Nailed it. He's had the best WR's in college also.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/dXpxyrOIdE">https://t.co/dXpxyrOIdE</a> <a href="https://t.co/qpy2e1TEun">pic.twitter.com/qpy2e1TEun</a></p>&mdash; ChiefsJayhawksRoyals (@CJR16255) <a href="https://twitter.com/CJR16255/status/1899648228749967755?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

no worries, we have CB1 for that guy

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chase gotta deal with his daddy anyway <a href="https://t.co/F8rjI9s9XE">pic.twitter.com/F8rjI9s9XE</a></p>&mdash; Oliv (@OlivAim_) <a href="https://twitter.com/OlivAim_/status/1899512662142460258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

lol what are they doing

So do I have this right?

Joe loudly and publicly tells the Bengals to take care of his guys.

The Bengals….

*checks notes*

Sign….

*rubs eyes and checks notes again*

Gaseki….. and Perine.

But not Chase and Higgins.

And give Hendrickson permission to seek a trade.

It’s a bold move, Cotton

Soouuuuuuuuuper Bowwwwwwlllllzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

In light of the whole Deion/Shedeur stuff, I think draft prospects like him have every right to not want to go to certain organizations.

Look at what is happening to Burrow’s career? That franchise has been terrible supporting him the last 2 years now, in large part due of the owner being a cheap POS.

If I’m a really good QB prospect, like a Caleb Williams for example, and the Browns or Bengals have the chance to draft me, I’m probably saying no thanks.

It’s no wonder the Bengals have almost always been a poverty franchise

Lol. What a dumpster fire.

A small part of me almost feels sorry for Joey B . . . . . . . . . almost.

What they do best!

I think they will sign Higgins and Chase. To me it Hedricks you shouldn't let go of. Higgins is tagged so they have months to get him. Chase can't leave either so they have time. All that money in wrs is stupid.

I would sign Chase and Hendrickson, and would have traded Higgins last year when I could get a decent pick for him. You have your cornerstone players, and WR2 isn't one of them. They should have backfilled young talent behind him.

Sounds like they’re going to lock up both Chase and Higgins, defense be damned.


Oops. That app’s code is wonky. Basically from Dianna Russini making the above claim. We will see.

They want to have their cake and eat it too and it's gonna **** them.

Do you remember watching Vermeil's teams lose super important games 41-43?

Yeah, neither do the Bengals.

They are going to have to score 60+ points a game.

Not to mention the fact that locking up those 2 WRs will take some serious guaranteed money. Will their owner be willing to cough up that much cash to sign them?

So they’re keeping Higgins instead of Hendrickson. Interesting strategy.

Yes. It's trending that way. Nobody thought they would keep both WR's. Thry are. They know what its gonna take.

It would be one thing if Higgins had been crazy productive the last couple years. Rather he’s missed 10 games due to injury since 2023.

They made the Super Bowl and AFCCG with Burrow, Chase, and Higgins makes a combined what, $25-30M max against the cap?

Now they’re betting the best path back there is by paying them a combined $120M. Good luck.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The expectation around the league is that Ja’Marr Chase’s new deal, if and when it gets done, will average somewhere in the range of $40.1 million to $41 million per year, topping Myles Garrett and making him the highest-paid non-QB in the NFL, as the Bengals said he would be. <a href="https://t.co/3PhjadwS8o">https://t.co/3PhjadwS8o</a></p>&mdash; Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1900644794331759029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So basically well over half their cap will be spent on four players. I'm sure they're front loading one and back loading another but they're not winning a Super Bowl with holes all over their lineup.

Higgins will be washed in two years. They already blew their window.

Really stupid to spend that much money of wrs. Really stupid. They better win one this year or what was it for?

Burrow the whinny insecure moron that demanded all money spent on offense.

The 5 worst defenses to win a Super Bowl were: 2011 Giants 25th, 2006 Colts 23rd, 2009 Saints 20th, 2007 Giants 17th, and this year's Chiefs with a rank of 16 were the 5th worst defense to win a Super Bowl.Jul 17, 2023

You guys are funny.

You praise the Mahomes restructures and how it helps the Chiefs but don't think the Bengals can do the same thing?

Chase and Tee will have much smaller hits in the first couple years of their contract while Joe makes 46 and 48M the next 2 years.

Then they just restructure Joe and drop his cap hits to 19 and 29M in '27 and '28 just as Chase and Tee's money goes up. It all balances out.

maybe some day you'll have more than 3 good players again

Restructuring Burrow, Chase, and Higgins over and over again won't mean shit if you guys can't draft or sign free agents without massively overpaying since you're constantly using the tag in bad faith.

Oh, and that's assuming Mike Brown will be amenable to cutting checks worth tens of millions of dollars every off-season

It's just insanely bad cap mgmt to pay two WR's that percentage of your cap.

Exactly.

We could sit here all day and have a real, legitimate discussion about if it’s better to pay Jamarr Chase after his best year $41M AAV or if they should be trying to get a Tyreek-plus level trade haul.

But if you are gonna pay Chase that $41m, which is a totally fine decision, you CANNOT give the other WR $25m AAV in the same offseason, no less a guy who has struggled to stay healthy the past two years.

Yes you can. People that know how to structure cap numbers and use all available options can certainly can do it.

They just did a new TV contract in '21. The cap is going to continue to rise. It's already higher this year than expected and will continue to go up. In 2 years, the contracts this year will seem like bargains for the future market.

And like i just said, when they decide to do a Burrow restructure, the total cap hits will remain relatively the same year to year.

Percentage changes year to year...APY is NOT the number used for the cap hit...cap rise...restructure...yadda yadda.

Ya'll keep dreaming. These contracts aren't the norm, but they can be done as proven by people that know capology way more than me.

And don't bring out the cash poor bullshit. Based on things i've read from people in business and the available data, the Bengals, several years ago, could have easily had 250+M doing nothing but sitting in the bank drawing interest.

They've been nothing but miserly in running their business and making money. They have a hell of a lot more avaiable than anyone outside of the family realizes, simply by looking at overhead and profit, and it's been done for many years.

It's been multiplied exponentially by the recent change in naming rights and official sponsors that weren't there 5/10 years ago.

cool story bro

hope you find more than 3 good players

They had these same two wrs last year and went 9-8. Don't tell me somehow paying them rediculous money somehow makes them a better team. It doesn't and if Hendicks leaves that's a massive blow to sb dreams.

This is the part where I show you that our unicorn WR got traded for a haul, and then Patrick took the team to 3 straight Super Bowls, and winning 2…. While throwing to Juju, Skyy, Toney, MVS, rookie season Rice, rookie season Worthy.

If Joe is HIM, then why can’t he win without his WRs you could have traded? Is it because he can’t win WITH them either??

The Benglas are going to look a lot like the early Mahomes chiefs before Spags got in. High flying offense and absolute dogshit defense. They'll win games, they'll be in a shoot out every game though. They should def make the playoffs and the expectation should be a deep run but the ceiling is probably making the AFCCG.

Give him a top 2 defense and let's see what happens. That's what happened with Pat. The defense rose up and carried him. How do we conveniently forget that?

you know who never had a good defense once in his entire career? Tom Brady -non-Chiefs fans

With the typical slow start and dogshit defense, they only missed the playoffs by one game.

Let that marinate a little.

Super slow start.
Super dogshit defense.
Missed p/o by one game.

If you think they're going to regress without another year of injuries, you don't know football much.

LMAO Bragging about only missing the playoffs by one game when it's a seven team field is hilarious.

Oh, and it's very likely they will regress, BTW. Chase isn't going to be the Triple Crown again and Hendrickson won't lead the league in sacks. Your best players had incredible seasons and you guys STILL couldn't even make it to playoff football. That's absolutely pathetic roster building.

When Mahomes beat the Eagles 38-35 in the SB that year I don't recall the defense "carrying him".


They made a nice fumble recovery and scoop and score and a few other stops.

Your team got worse this offseason. ROFL

You won’t have a top 25 defense with the piss poor moves your team is making. Hendrickson is a game wrecker, he’s as important to your DL as Jones is to ours. Paying an often injured WR2 instead of keeping the cornerstone of your defense isn’t gonna help them improve, letting some other top tier defensive players walk over the last couple seasons, without drafting much to replace them isn’t gonna fix the defense. Making Lou the fall guy for piss poor GMing, and awful roster building won’t fix it either, bro.

I mean, **** the Bengals and all. But where the REAL problems your team is suffering from, hasn’t changed yet.

You should concentrate on not getting blown out in the biggest game of the year.

You're right. I will focus on my dynasty. You focus on being nothing. ROFL

Hendrickson is already under contract for this year. He's looking for an extension and the bengals granted him the opp to look for a trade partner. No one has stepped up on that front.

Trey will wear stripes this year.

I have absolutely zero problem with Lou being gone and AG coming in. Golden plays a more aggressive style of D and i prefer aggressive...which you'll find out if we ever meet because i'm gonna wrestle you to the ground, give you a noogie and tickle you till you pee.

PS don't we have a liquor bet this year on something?

LMAO

Can't wait to bump this after the draft.

Make a video out of it, CUZ!

Lol. Calling us out for losing badly in the Super Bowl. Chiefs and Bengals have represented the AFC in every Super Bowl over the last 6 seasons. I should say, the Chiefs have represented the AFC 5 times in 6 years and the Bengals once. The Chiefs won 3 of those Super Bowls. The Bengals lost. Maybe you should remember those facts before trying to cast the Chiefs in a negative light for losing the Super Bowl.

Speaking of the draft...keep your eyes on a couple safeties. Watts from ND, who's familiar with Golden and the Emmanwori kid. Dax Hill will be back from injury and take Hilton's spot and DJ Turner will be back to bolster the CB room.

I think there's still a chance they go after a guard in FA, once these other deals are done.

They still have time and opportunity to unshit the shit they've done so far.

I remember Burrow’s defense carrying him in the Playoffs for both the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Even won a Playoff game against a shitty Titans team where Burrow scored less than 20 points.

I know. The negative light switch they threw on was enough. No need for me to pile on.

You mean the game where he got sacked 9 times and still threw for almost tree fiddy, including the throw that put them in FG range to win?

Good pick.

Wonder what would happen to pat if he got sacked 9 times in one game. Yeeesh, that would look uuugly.

Remind me how many super bowl wins do the bengals have again I forget

You should concentrate on trying to make the playoffs.
You have enough to worry about being a fan of that sorry franchise

Getting excited about a mediocre 4th year safety is a new cope for you.

He won't play safety this year. Slot corner. That's where he excelled at Michigan. Bengals have been trying to put a square peg in a round hole with him. They're finally going to stick him back where he's comfortable.

With Chase, Higgins, Boyd, and Mixon at his disposal? I'd say it's a safe bet Mahomes throws more than Burrow's zero TD's. Also, Burrow was pressured at a 32.6% clip in that game. Mahomes would kill for that considering he's more mobile than Burrow and has won three Super Bowls facing no less than a 40.7% pressure rate.

here's a pile

https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net...Lg&oe=67DD59F0

Them boys got paid wow