This season, Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos finally ended their postseason drought—but they had to suffer a disastrous loss against the Bills in the wild-card round. However, you can say that’s a great start for their rookie quarterback, Bo Nix, who led his team to the postseason almost after a decade. But let’s be real—throughout the season, the rookie QB was surely under pressure. The reason? Not getting along with the wide receivers.

On no, we aren’t talking personally here. You see, when the Broncos named Nix their starting QB, it was clear that he was gonna turn some heads across the league. But nope, his supporting cast wasn’t that great as he struggled throughout the season with his wide receivers. The result? Missed throws, wideouts dropping passes they should’ve snagged, and a whole lot of chaos. Long story short: Sean Payton and crew missed a true WR1 on their active roster for Nix.

Now, as the season has wrapped up and the Denver team is gearing up for the offseason, they surely looking for an impact WR for Nix. And looks like they can land a pretty deal with the Bengals‘ star WR, Tee Higgins. On Monday, The Athletic’s senior writer, Paul Dehner Jr., shared, “A 10-step path to Super Bowl 6o,” in which he talked about how the Bengals can get back to the big game. He noted, “In a vacuum, moving on from Higgins is the correct football move.” And if they did, Sean Payton’s Broncos are willing to offer a deal to Higgins.

You see, Higgins is all set to hit free agency this offseason after having recorded one of the best seasons of his 5-year long career. The guy finished the season with 73 receptions for 911 yards and racked up 10 touchdowns. Now? Well, the Bengals have yet to offer him a contract extension.

But let’s be real—it’s unlikely for Higgins to grab a massive contract extension with the Bengals, considering Ja’Marr Chase is eyeing a jaw-dropping extension as well. That means he has an option to put pen on paper with the Broncos this off season.

Now hold that thought! Because it’s not gonna be as simple as it sounds. You see, besides Broncos, the Panthers, Commanders, and the Patriots are also looking for someone who can provide a desperately needed passing option to their QBs. On top of that, we can’t ignore the elephant in the room—the Broncos’ salary cap.

After losing the wild card round to the Bills, the Broncos inked 13 players for the future contracts in 2025. Now, reports say the team’s working with a $35.7 million salary cap in 2025. And, here’s the kicker—Higgins is probably eyeing around $25 million per year, and that’s exactly where things get interesting for the Broncos.

At the end of the game, it is safe to say if Sean Payton is actually looking for a true WR1 for the team and the QB, then it’s gonna be an insane money game this off season.

Joe Burrow is interested in a high-paying roster

Ever since the Eagles secured their second Super Bowl title, Joe Burrow hasn’t stopped raving about their flawless performance—and honestly, who can blame him? Of course, he’d love to see the Bengals replicate that dominance next season. But here’s the real kicker—it’s not just about winning the Lombardi Trophy. Burrow wants Cincinnati to take notes on how the Eagles built their roster from the ground up.

Yep, you read that right. Burrow recently made an appearance on Pardon My Take podcast on Wednesday where he talked about how well the Philadelphia team pay their main player big money. “The Eagles are paying everybody,” Burrow said. “That seems like the way, whatever they’re doing.” And honestly, he came with a whole plan. “You could convert some of the money to a signing bonus, which will lower the cap hit,” Burrow emphasized. “You can push some of the money to the back end of the contract. That lowers the cap hit. … And then when you get to the back end of the contract, you can restructure it and convert it to a signing bonus.”

He’s not wrong though. The Eagles have been paying some good chunk of money to their starting players and still managing their cap hit. For starters, the QB, Jalen Hurts, is on a 5-year hefty contract worth $255 million—not to mention, he’s gonna stick with the Eagles till 2028. And their wide receiver? Well, before the 2024 season, DeVonta Smith signed a 3-year contract worth $75 million with the Eagles. And let’s be real—these are just a couple of instances and there’s a whole party with some massive contracts.

And the Bengals? Hmm, looks like they are surely cooking something. The reason? Joe Burrow is already on a jaw-dropping $275 million contract with the team for 5 years. Besides, Ja’Marr Chase is probably gonna be the highest-paid wide receiver of the league if he lands a deal with the Bengals—which is most likely.

Sure, Tee Higgins is heading into free agency, but who knows? The Bengals might just have a few tricks up their sleeve for the 2025 season. Now, whether some big contracts is a way for a Lombardi trophy or not, but looks like Joe Burrow is looking for a high paying roster in 2025.