01-27-2023, 01:48 PM
Don't think it's a Higgins vs Pratt type conversation.
Higgins as a #1 WR (but not top-of-the-line #1 WR) will be getting $25m/yr, Pratt as a great 2-down ILB will get $7-10m/yr.
It'll take ~3 Pratts to equal 1 Higgins as far as money goes. Pratt seems like he's going to be chasing the biggest FA $ he can with his earlier comments of needing to play 3rd down because he was "leaving too much money on the table". Higgins is just probably going to cost too much when paired with Burrow and Chase who are absolutely going to get extended this year and next, respectively. (Not just too cap space, but too much guaranteed $ that needs to be put into escrow by the Bengals, too.)
When you have good players, you're going to lose some good players. You just keep the core that you need and can afford and replace the rest to keep on keeping on. If Burrow is as great as we all think he is then there's going to be a time where he's going to have to deal with having just 1 great and 1 good weapon and then just raise the talent of some other guys around him. Don't pull a Rodgers or Tannehill on Burrow where you trade his only good weapon and give him nothing but scrubs, but we're more in a Mahomes with Kelce/Tyreek situation where you keep the best (Chase) and use the other to get draft capital and tons of excess salary cap space that can help build a more complete team than a seriously topheavy team with holes everywhere.
- - - -
TLDR, I think both are going to be on different teams in 2024, if not 2023. We'll make do and keep moving on.
Higgins as a #1 WR (but not top-of-the-line #1 WR) will be getting $25m/yr, Pratt as a great 2-down ILB will get $7-10m/yr.
It'll take ~3 Pratts to equal 1 Higgins as far as money goes. Pratt seems like he's going to be chasing the biggest FA $ he can with his earlier comments of needing to play 3rd down because he was "leaving too much money on the table". Higgins is just probably going to cost too much when paired with Burrow and Chase who are absolutely going to get extended this year and next, respectively. (Not just too cap space, but too much guaranteed $ that needs to be put into escrow by the Bengals, too.)
When you have good players, you're going to lose some good players. You just keep the core that you need and can afford and replace the rest to keep on keeping on. If Burrow is as great as we all think he is then there's going to be a time where he's going to have to deal with having just 1 great and 1 good weapon and then just raise the talent of some other guys around him. Don't pull a Rodgers or Tannehill on Burrow where you trade his only good weapon and give him nothing but scrubs, but we're more in a Mahomes with Kelce/Tyreek situation where you keep the best (Chase) and use the other to get draft capital and tons of excess salary cap space that can help build a more complete team than a seriously topheavy team with holes everywhere.
- - - -
TLDR, I think both are going to be on different teams in 2024, if not 2023. We'll make do and keep moving on.
____________________________________________________________
![[Image: 9c9oza.jpg]](https://i.imgflip.com/9c9oza.jpg)
