(02-16-2023, 07:40 AM)Graphicguy Wrote: Not sure what you gleamed from this. Chase is essentially saying he doesn’t know what the Bengals/Higgins do to keep the team as is.
Not sure how you missed him hesitate and laugh before saying he didn't know and then he clearly said someone would have to do something?
(02-16-2023, 07:43 AM)Brownshoe Wrote: To me he was saying it will be hard if not impossible to keep our receivers as is.
Interesting. After his comment regarding Joe's new contract structure last week and now this.... it could be a subtle message or maybe he already knows Joe's intentions?
(02-16-2023, 09:35 AM)casear2727 Wrote: Interesting. After his comment regarding Joe's new contract structure last week and now this.... it could be a subtle message or maybe he already knows Joe's intentions?
Watched the video. I'm sure Higgins, Chase, and Burrow have all talked about it. I don't think Chase was sending a message to anyone, especially Joe. They are the closest of friends. He would just talk to him directly.
I would guess, though, that maybe some agents or members of the Bengald FO have mentioned not being so revealing in interviews and to maybe speak more in generalities regarding contracts. I wouldn't read a lot into this. Probably more foreshadowing than anything.
(02-16-2023, 09:46 AM)PDub80 Wrote: Watched the video. I'm sure Higgins, Chase, and Burrow have all talked about it. I don't think Chase was sending a message to anyone, especially Joe. They are the closest of friends. He would just talk to him directly.
I would guess, though, that maybe some agents or members of the Bengald FO have mentioned not being so revealing in interviews and to maybe speak more in generalities regarding contracts. I wouldn't read a lot into this. Probably more foreshadowing than anything.
So the title is more or less click bait. I fully understand their relationships, and they arent really the closest of friends, but that doesnt matter right now.
I simply thought Chase's initial reaction was interesting and his comment regarding "somebody will have to something" was an indication that Joe is that "somebody" and perhaps Chase already knows his intentions? The title suggesting Chase is sending a message to Joe was in jest.
(02-16-2023, 10:24 AM)jj22 Wrote: Higgins agent isnt' going to have any of this team friendly contract talk.
I never suggested he would. That said, if any WR would consider any size discount it could be Tee. Lifelong Bengals fan, loves Cincy, knows the value of Burrow, and Tee isnt really the Alpha type. He is ok with Chase being out front as long as he still gets his respect.
I think Chase is just a young dude who is being open and authentic when sharing his thoughts. He seems like he enjoys ball, being a Bengal, and playing with Burrow. He seems to enjoy interviews. I don't see any subtle messaging in his takes.
(02-16-2023, 10:38 AM)TecmoBengals Wrote: I think Chase is just a young dude who is being open and authentic when sharing his thoughts. He seems like he enjoys ball, being a Bengal, and playing with Burrow. He seems to enjoy interviews. I don't see any subtle messaging in his takes.
As i said in a previous reply the title was a bit of click bait, but he definitely stopped himself with an immediate answer, and then he was pretty clear that "someone" who is getting a major contract would have to be helpful... He obviously gets it. I just wonder that if this comment and the one last week if he is already aware of Joe's intentions as it pertains to the structure of his upcoming extension.
(02-16-2023, 04:21 AM)casear2727 Wrote: "Is it going to be difficult to keep two #1's on the same team?"
Chase has an answer and then pauses and giggles, saying "I really don't know", but it seemed like he did know.
But then Chase surprisingly continues and says the following:
"At the end of the day somebody is going to have to do something for us to have this team stay together"
Jump to 6:10 for the exact quote. I'm not looking too much into this am I?
Hmm, I'm not sure he means Joe. It felt more like a statement to management. Like "You guys are gonna have to work this thing out if you want to keep the 3 of us together."
And they kind of are. Taking on additional sponsors, selling the naming rights to the stadium etc. Those things will help with the cash flow required to sign these three.
Now all they have to do is work out the salary cap.
With more and more money pouring into the NFL each year, I think the sooner you can sign the three of them, the better. I would really like us to sign Higgins to an extension this off season. In 2018, I remember Mike Evans signed a huge contract for 5 years, 82.5 million dollars. The highest in NFL history for a WR, if I remember correctly (although I can't find any articles saying this, so maybe my memory is failing me) just over Hopkins' 5 year 81 million dollar contract that he signed the previous year (Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson's biggest contracts were floating around 16.2M per year, with Evans' being 16.4M AAV).
He is on that contract this year and it's a ***** bargain if I've ever seen one. They used void years (12M in 2024, 4.8M in 2025, 2.6M in 2026, but he's a free agent after the 2023 season) to stretch out the time tables to allow them to keep Chris Godwin as well. From 2019 to 2022, Evans' cap hits were 15.M, 8.4M, 7.7M and 10.3M, respectively. His cap hit this year is the highest it will be on that contract at 23.7M but, honestly, that's still a good deal haha. That's millions less than what Tyreek Hill's AVERAGE cap hit is over the length of his contract.
So the sooner we sign Higgins to what, at the time, will be a record breaking deal, by the time he's in the final 1 or 2 years of that extension (right around the time Chase's numbers will start to rapidly escalate), it will be a bargain by any stretch of the imagination.
The only question is, will the Bengals be willing to fully utilize void years to keep this window wide open? Or are they just too traditional to do that?
They did sign Riley Rieff to a 1 year contract with 1 void year on it to stretch out the cap hits (4.7M in 2021, 2.8M in 2022), so it's not a completely foreign concept for them. It will just have to be done a much larger scale if they realistically hope to keep Higgins and Chase together past both of their rookie contracts. It's going to take some creativity, but other teams have shown the ability to do it. The blue print is there.
(02-16-2023, 11:08 AM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: Hmm, I'm not sure he means Joe. It felt more like a statement to management. Like "You guys are gonna have to work this thing out if you want to keep the 3 of us together."
And they kind of are. Taking on additional sponsors, selling the naming rights to the stadium etc. Those things will help with the cash flow required to sign these three.
Now all they have to do is work out the salary cap.
So the sooner we sign Higgins to what, at the time, will be a record breaking deal, by the time he's in the final 1 or 2 years of that extension (right around the time Chase's numbers will start to rapidly escalate), it will be a bargain by any stretch of the imagination.
The only question is, will the Bengals be willing to fully utilize void years to keep this window wide open? Or are they just too traditional to do that?
They did sign Riley Rieff to a 1 year contract with 1 void year on it to stretch out the cap hits (4.7M in 2021, 2.8M in 2022), so it's not a completely foreign concept for them. It will just have to be done a much larger scale if they realistically hope to keep Higgins and Chase together past both of their rookie contracts. It's going to take some creativity, but other teams have shown the ability to do it. The blue print is there.
He might have been talking about management but they do that every season.
Signing guys earlier definitely results in them being more affordable in the future. Most likely applies to Burrow the most.
IMO, the main reason we extend Tee now is to avoid a bidding war as no other team can make an offer this off season.
Void years are only good while the player is still playing well, after that void years suck ass limiting future movement.
Void years are not necessary to sign Tee and Chase.
I believe we only had about 3M left in cap space when we signed Reiff, thus the reason for the void year.
We dont need to get too crazy to keep these guys together.
(02-16-2023, 10:24 AM)jj22 Wrote: Higgins agent isnt' going to have any of this team friendly contract talk.
Higgins' agent really doesn't have a say, he will do what Higgins tells him to do, or Higgins will get a new agent. If Tee says "I'm staying in Cincinnati, so work out the best deal you can that keeps me here" that's what he has to do.
It's going to be hard to keep Burrow, Chase, and Higgins together long term. I keep playing this scenario in my head where they cut Mixon and draft a mid round replacement and are able to keep them together. I'd say they really want to stay together.
But I have no delusions they're going to take 2/3 of what they could get elsewhere to stay here. We need help on the Oline, probably a CB, perhaps a TE and so on.
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