“You guys waste talent, just look at what you did to Joe Burrow.” This was Logan Paul, of all people, who took a cheap shot at the Bengals. Saying it to a Cincinnati crowd, it may have been scripted, considering his heel status. But saying it wasn’t true would be disrespectful to Joe Burrow. Bengals have always been the franchise that has preferred its chequebook over its playbook. It was pretty evident when Burrow was out there publicly campaigning for his teammates to be re-signed. When your franchise QB is begging the front office to keep hold of your best weapons, something is definitely wrong. And after a historic season, Burrow just delivered. No matter what the Bengals have done in recent days, accusations that they wasted Burrow’s talents will probably never go away.

Burrow could have easily won the NFL MVP last season if it weren’t tied to a team’s success. Josh Allen may have deserved his first NFL MVP honor for leading his Bills to the AFC Championship game. But if you look at Burrow’s productions from last year. There wasn’t any QB who deserved the MVP title more than him. Leading the league in completions (423), passing yards (4,641), and TD passes (42), Burrow’s historic campaign went to the gutter with him losing out on the MVP title.

He was just the 3rd QB ever in NFL history to throw for over 4,600 yards, 42 TDs, and 8 or fewer INTs in 16 games. Those before him, Aaron Rodgers in 2011 and Tom Brady in 2007, all won the MVP accolade. As for Joe, he couldn’t even get to the playoffs, as his team fell short in the final week. So, having witnessed Burrow’s probably greatest ever Bengals season go to waste. Cincinnati was again accused of not doing enough to support its star QB.

NFL analyst Chris Simms said on Dave Lapham’s podcast, “This is by far the most popular like wow star you’ve had in Cincinnati, really I’m going to say ever… I’m a football historian; Joe Burrow is world-famous… I would say like great at scouting, great at doing contracts and not having the dead money and all that. But there are times where you just got to go. Hey, you know what we might have to sacrifice a little extra money here because we’ve got a team that can go to the Super Bowl, or win the Super Bowl, and I hope the Bengals maybe break some of those boundaries just a little bit more.” See, the Bengals have been trying to break some boundaries this offseason.

They have gone above and beyond to keep Burrow’s two biggest offensive weapons, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, in the Jungle. Giving them a combined $276M contract extension worth 4 years each. This might have helped in keeping their offensive powers intact. But the Bengals could have done a better job. Something that might have helped them in securing their best defensive player, Trey Hendrickson’s future.

Ja’ Marr Chase and Tee Higgins’ mammoth extensions aren’t all sunshine and rainbows

When the Bengals finally listened to Joe Burrow’s pleas and extended Chase and Higgins’ contracts with a combined value of $69M annually, it looked like the Bengals were finally opening their chequebook. But since that early offseason hype in the Jungle, those good vibes have again shimmered down. One of the reasons the Bengals have yet to lose their cheap tag is due to their situation with Trey Hendrickson. When their director of player personnel, Duke Tobin, said, “There’s no real new information on Trey,” ahead of the draft, it only means the Bengals haven’t had a productive conversation with their NFL sack leader.

Hendrickson, who has earned 4 consecutive Pro Bowls and a first-team All-Pro last year, has compiled 57 total sacks since arriving in Cincinnati. Still, he remains the victim of the Bengals’ questionable contractual approaches. Given that the Bengals had wrapped up the extensions of Chase and Higgins sooner, Hendrickson could have also been easily extended. Chase and Higgins, before their 2024 season, combined for only $50M annually in market value.

But since Chase’s triple-crown year and Higgins’ consistent productions, that value skyrocketed. Considering the Bengals had not waited till the last minute, they could have easily saved $19M. And those $19M and a bit more would have helped them extend Hendrickson’s contract. Obviously, with the pass rush market fostering over $35M contract annually. Hendrickson, who is set to earn only $15.8M this year, wouldn’t be too happy playing on such measly money.

Now, if the Bengals somehow don’t find a way to get Hendrickson’s future sorted. Then, all of the hype they have tried to build around this Joe Burrow-led team would stumble again. Because you know what they say, “Defense wins championships.” And clearly, the Bengals haven’t understood this notion just yet.