Cincinnati Bengals find themselves at the center of a storm because of contract negotiations. Franchise president since 1991, Mike Brown is a shrewd negotiator, often resulting in a delay of important settlements for the franchise. In September 2023, they signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension with Joe Burrow. But the large purse spent on the QB has left the fates of WRs Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase hanging in balance.

Brown kept extending the contract negotiations for Higgins since 2023, resulting in unwanted attention for the franchise. He kept postponing the negotiations and put the WR on a franchise tag in February 2024. After signing 1-year deal, the WR will be playing this year on a franchise tag and might be on the lookout for another buyer next year. He will  get $21.8 million this year, the stipulated amount for tender year WR. When an analyst saw Brown following the same steps in the case of Chase, he attacked Brown for his antics.

Mike Brown’s style of negotiations in Ja’Marr Chase’s contract extension might harm his team

Former WR Greg Jennings called out Brown on The Carton Show podcast for extending the negotiations which might harm the team bonding. Highlighting that Burrow performed well with Higgins first and later formed a match-winning combination with Chase, he noted that Brown’s tactics might negatively affect the relationships between players. He opined, “Owners drive a wedge between ownership and locker room. That starts to fracture what you’re trying to build.” There’s a high chance of a repeat of 2020 when Sports Illustrated‘s Elise Jesse reported that players (on the condition of anonymity) called the locker room a college-level and there was no trust between players and coaches and management. Who Dey Nation would not want to see such a mess.

Hinting that negotiations for star WR have been postponed for next year, he said at the media presser, “It’s not so likely that this is the good time to negotiate. The offseason is a better time for that and we’re going to try to keep focused on the football part.” Endorsing the player and the team’s willingness to keep him, he called the WR the 2nd most important player after Joe Burrow, he added, “We are going to bend over backwards to get it done. I can’t tell you when.”

The Bengals’ director of player personnel, Duke Tobin, emulated the president’s views and said that the WR is a rare player. He said, “If it was just wide receiver, I wouldn’t spend a nickel on it. But it’s Ja’Marr Chase, and so we’ll see what can get done.” Meanwhile, Chase has not commented publicly about the talks, but everyone noticed that he skipped the OTAs and attended the mandatory minicamp. The negotiations could not materialize for Higgins, and the team would not want a similar situation with Chase.

With controversies regarding contract extensions, The Queen City finds itself in hot water. The QB has been medically cleared for the torn wrist ligament injury and the franchise is relying on him.

Brown is confident of Joe Burrow’s fitness while analysts question his talent

During the media presser, Brown looked confident about the availability of their star QB in the coming season. Exuding positivity about the QB’s recovery, Head Coach Zac Taylor said that Burrow looked perfectly fine during the off-season. HC said, “I think he’s ready to go. He could do what he had to do in every way. He’s the heart of the team and we rise and fall on Joe.” ESPN’s list of Top 10 QBs for 2024 ranked him at 2nd place. But analysts have a mixed reaction to QB’s talent.

Strongly opposing the 2nd rank, former LB Bart Scott said on ESPN’s First Take Show that he would have rated Aaron Rodgers ahead of Joe Cool. Rating him below A-Rod on throwing ability and acumen, Scott added, “You can’t say Joe Burrow is a better thrower of the football than Aaron Rodgers. You can’t say his football acumen is better.” Disagreeing with Scott, Robert Griffin III said that the Bengals’ QB was better than Rodgers because of his young age. The QB must be hoping to raise his stakes in the coming season.

The locker room must set aside their differences and win a Super Bowl, a feat they have never achieved.