02-15-2025, 09:36 AM
Mike Brown, for right or wrong, is maddeningly consistent with respect to his football philosophy: Get the right quarterback and everything else automatically falls into place. To quote my good friend BengalFan74, Mikey Boy has found his generation’s Otto Graham in Joe Burrow but things have not automatically fallen into place. Still, Burrow has leverage with Brown far greater than even Carson Palmer. Burrow led this team within three points of winning a Super Bowl and Palmer, talented as he was, never won a playoff game as a Bengal.
When Palmer issued his ultimata to Brown fifteen years ago Brown took a “BLEEP around and find out!” approach. Palmer ended up in Oakland as trade bait while Brown ripped the Raiders’ Front Office a new anal orifice in one of the most incredible trade deals in NFL history. Brown did this shortly after Al Davis passed away, too. Savage.
This time it would behoove Brown to listen to Burrow. The Cincinnati offense only fires on all cylinders with both Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase simultaneously on the field. When one of the two is injured coverage rolls toward the remaining receiver. Brown needs to pay both Higgins and Chase.
Like the OP I share the queasy feeling too. If Higgins leaves this changes the entire draft calculus. Now, instead of bolstering the trenches, the Bengals will need to replace Higgins and his skill set is almost non-replaceable. The closest college player I’ve seen to Tee Higgins is Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka — and the Bengals would have to trade a lot to pick early enough in the draft to get Egbuka.
Or, alternatively, maybe sanity will prevail in the Front Office and Mikey Boy will pay both Chase and Higgins. Then the draft can focus on the Ohio State player the Bengals really need: Jack Sawyer.
When Palmer issued his ultimata to Brown fifteen years ago Brown took a “BLEEP around and find out!” approach. Palmer ended up in Oakland as trade bait while Brown ripped the Raiders’ Front Office a new anal orifice in one of the most incredible trade deals in NFL history. Brown did this shortly after Al Davis passed away, too. Savage.
This time it would behoove Brown to listen to Burrow. The Cincinnati offense only fires on all cylinders with both Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase simultaneously on the field. When one of the two is injured coverage rolls toward the remaining receiver. Brown needs to pay both Higgins and Chase.
Like the OP I share the queasy feeling too. If Higgins leaves this changes the entire draft calculus. Now, instead of bolstering the trenches, the Bengals will need to replace Higgins and his skill set is almost non-replaceable. The closest college player I’ve seen to Tee Higgins is Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka — and the Bengals would have to trade a lot to pick early enough in the draft to get Egbuka.
Or, alternatively, maybe sanity will prevail in the Front Office and Mikey Boy will pay both Chase and Higgins. Then the draft can focus on the Ohio State player the Bengals really need: Jack Sawyer.
![[Image: 4CV0TeR.png]](https://i.imgur.com/4CV0TeR.png)
