01-13-2024, 12:04 PM
Paul Dehner The Athletic:
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow’s opinion matters.
That’s not a secret or matter of national security. You don’t need much more than a remedial education in economics and a stable Internet connection to view the power and pull of $219 million guaranteed on the Bengals’ franchise.
That’s why, entering an uncertain offseason of this team’s stars approaching free agency, it’s hard not to sit up in your chair when Burrow sat in front of the media Monday for the first time in seven weeks and offered a clear statement about free agent wide receiver Tee Higgins.
“I expect Tee to be back,” Burrow said.
Well, OK then.
Burrow doesn’t have a corner office with a view of the Ohio River across the hall from president Mike Brown. He doesn’t travel with the personnel staff to the Senior Bowl or NFL Scouting Combine to talk through the gritty details of building the roster.
But you better believe Burrow’s thoughts on the direction of this franchise influence decision-makers in every corner of Paycor Stadium. As well as reflect them.
What Burrow wants, for the most part, he gets. He’s not a placeholder of the quarterback position. When the Bengals recruit free agents, he walks to The Precinct in his sweatpants to join the dinner. He serves them cupcakes and crackers at his house. He pops into the offices to hear the latest of what’s going on. He takes phone calls to gauge his thoughts.
“His input level is high,” coach Zac Taylor said. “I think it’s critical when you have players you trust because of how they operate, how they see things and how they go through it. That input is critical. Joe’s up there at the top in terms of an opinion that I want in about every area that we have. I don’t take it lightly when he says something or when he doesn’t have an opinion on something. I think that that communication is critical.”
Burrow doesn’t make the decisions, merely influences them. The Bengals — the league’s foremost believers in coaching- personnel-player synergy — welcome that influence.
Director of player personnel Duke Tobin has spoken often about appreciating and accommodating Burrow’s involvement.
“Joe sees the big picture,” Tobin said last February. “Joe understands better than most people.”
So, when Burrow lets the world know what he expects to see happen in free agency, well, the pressure applies to the front office to get this done.
“I can’t speak for everybody, but I can speak for myself,” Burrow said. “I expect him to be back. I know everybody in the locker room wants him back. We’ll see. The offseason is a crazy thing.”
Higgins will enter the offseason as one of the most sought-after free agents on the market. The franchise tag is available for one year and just north of $21 million. The deadline for the tag decision is March 5.
The Bengals swung and missed on a long-term extension last August, but could try again for multiple years. They could tag and trade in hopes of adding assets if a deal can’t be reached. They could pass on guaranteeing that much money for one season and let him walk. There are multiple options, but with Burrow’s contract extension not fully attacking the cap until 2025, the team has $54 million in effective cap space, via Over The Cap, currently sixth-most.
There’s more than enough space to apply a tag and then proceed from there into the offseason priorities.
Again, Burrow specifically molded his record-breaking contract to accommodate shared priorities and challenges of this offseason.
“We made sure things were in place that we could if we needed to,” Burrow said.
Burrow calculates all his moves, all his comments, all his decisions. He’s like a touchdown-tossing version of Zach Galifianakis counting cards in “The Hangover” meme. The ramifications of his words are not just understood, but reflective of the real expectation of the front office.
The point being, count QB1 as a reliable source.
“We all want Tee back,” Burrow said. “We know what kind of player he is. We know what kind of person he is. He’s what being a Bengal is all about. Like you said, we’ll see, but I think we should have a good opportunity.”
Imagine all of these words from the face of the franchise then having to come back next year without him lining up on the outside? We’ve not seen the Bengals organization let Burrow down in that manner before. Certainly not publicly. There’s zero reason to expect it here.
The confidence in how Burrow spoke about keeping Higgins in Cincinnati was difficult to miss on Monday. Nor the only voice speaking that way.
“It’s hard to imagine life without Tee Higgins,” Taylor said, before pointing out he didn’t have any concrete information on his future, or the evolving roster analysis expected in the coming months. “I’m not trying to angle things any which way. Those are all conversations that we’ll continue to have upstairs.”
The conversations downstairs aren’t quite so politically correct.
“Tee wants to be here, Tee knows we want him here,” Burrow said. “There’s not much to say in that aspect. Everybody’s expectation is Tee is going to be back.”
Free agency doesn’t always produce the expected results, but with the franchise tag in hand, the Bengals hold the only card that matters, if necessary. His expectation is they play it.
“We’ll see,” Burrow said. “You never know how it’s going to play out.”
No, you don’t. But the writing does now appear on the wall with Higgins. Burrow wrote it up there.
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow’s opinion matters.
That’s not a secret or matter of national security. You don’t need much more than a remedial education in economics and a stable Internet connection to view the power and pull of $219 million guaranteed on the Bengals’ franchise.
That’s why, entering an uncertain offseason of this team’s stars approaching free agency, it’s hard not to sit up in your chair when Burrow sat in front of the media Monday for the first time in seven weeks and offered a clear statement about free agent wide receiver Tee Higgins.
“I expect Tee to be back,” Burrow said.
Well, OK then.
Burrow doesn’t have a corner office with a view of the Ohio River across the hall from president Mike Brown. He doesn’t travel with the personnel staff to the Senior Bowl or NFL Scouting Combine to talk through the gritty details of building the roster.
But you better believe Burrow’s thoughts on the direction of this franchise influence decision-makers in every corner of Paycor Stadium. As well as reflect them.
What Burrow wants, for the most part, he gets. He’s not a placeholder of the quarterback position. When the Bengals recruit free agents, he walks to The Precinct in his sweatpants to join the dinner. He serves them cupcakes and crackers at his house. He pops into the offices to hear the latest of what’s going on. He takes phone calls to gauge his thoughts.
“His input level is high,” coach Zac Taylor said. “I think it’s critical when you have players you trust because of how they operate, how they see things and how they go through it. That input is critical. Joe’s up there at the top in terms of an opinion that I want in about every area that we have. I don’t take it lightly when he says something or when he doesn’t have an opinion on something. I think that that communication is critical.”
Burrow doesn’t make the decisions, merely influences them. The Bengals — the league’s foremost believers in coaching- personnel-player synergy — welcome that influence.
Director of player personnel Duke Tobin has spoken often about appreciating and accommodating Burrow’s involvement.
“Joe sees the big picture,” Tobin said last February. “Joe understands better than most people.”
So, when Burrow lets the world know what he expects to see happen in free agency, well, the pressure applies to the front office to get this done.
“I can’t speak for everybody, but I can speak for myself,” Burrow said. “I expect him to be back. I know everybody in the locker room wants him back. We’ll see. The offseason is a crazy thing.”
Higgins will enter the offseason as one of the most sought-after free agents on the market. The franchise tag is available for one year and just north of $21 million. The deadline for the tag decision is March 5.
The Bengals swung and missed on a long-term extension last August, but could try again for multiple years. They could tag and trade in hopes of adding assets if a deal can’t be reached. They could pass on guaranteeing that much money for one season and let him walk. There are multiple options, but with Burrow’s contract extension not fully attacking the cap until 2025, the team has $54 million in effective cap space, via Over The Cap, currently sixth-most.
There’s more than enough space to apply a tag and then proceed from there into the offseason priorities.
Again, Burrow specifically molded his record-breaking contract to accommodate shared priorities and challenges of this offseason.
“We made sure things were in place that we could if we needed to,” Burrow said.
Burrow calculates all his moves, all his comments, all his decisions. He’s like a touchdown-tossing version of Zach Galifianakis counting cards in “The Hangover” meme. The ramifications of his words are not just understood, but reflective of the real expectation of the front office.
The point being, count QB1 as a reliable source.
“We all want Tee back,” Burrow said. “We know what kind of player he is. We know what kind of person he is. He’s what being a Bengal is all about. Like you said, we’ll see, but I think we should have a good opportunity.”
Imagine all of these words from the face of the franchise then having to come back next year without him lining up on the outside? We’ve not seen the Bengals organization let Burrow down in that manner before. Certainly not publicly. There’s zero reason to expect it here.
The confidence in how Burrow spoke about keeping Higgins in Cincinnati was difficult to miss on Monday. Nor the only voice speaking that way.
“It’s hard to imagine life without Tee Higgins,” Taylor said, before pointing out he didn’t have any concrete information on his future, or the evolving roster analysis expected in the coming months. “I’m not trying to angle things any which way. Those are all conversations that we’ll continue to have upstairs.”
The conversations downstairs aren’t quite so politically correct.
“Tee wants to be here, Tee knows we want him here,” Burrow said. “There’s not much to say in that aspect. Everybody’s expectation is Tee is going to be back.”
Free agency doesn’t always produce the expected results, but with the franchise tag in hand, the Bengals hold the only card that matters, if necessary. His expectation is they play it.
“We’ll see,” Burrow said. “You never know how it’s going to play out.”
No, you don’t. But the writing does now appear on the wall with Higgins. Burrow wrote it up there.
Romo “ so impressed with Zac ...1 of the best in the NFL… they are just fundamentally sound. Taylor the best winning % in the Playoffs of current coaches. Joe Burrow” Zac is the best head coach in the NFL & that gives me a lot of confidence." Taylor led the Bengals to their first playoff win since 1990, ending the longest active drought in the four major North American sports, en and appeared in Super Bowl LVI, the first since 1988.
