How Does Joe Burrow’s Contract Extensions Impact Bengals Cap Space?

Joe Burrow received a five-year, $275 million contract deal from the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night, making him the highest-paid player in the NFL with $219.01 million in guaranteed money.

How Does Joe Burrow’s Contract Extensions Impact Bengals Cap Space?

NFL teams are subject to a strict salary cap that places a limitation on the amount that may be spent on players. The Bengals presently have about $12.8 million in salary cap space out of the $224.8 million total for this year.

This action protects the long-term future of the franchise quarterback and affects the salary cap because Burrow’s previous deal was due to expire after the 2024 season.

According to Over The Cap, the Bengals will have $262.7 million in club cap space for 2026 and $180.3 million in 2025. That will undoubtedly be affected by the quarterback’s deal, as well as by roster changes that may be made in the future.

While Burrow was under contract as a rookie, the Bengals had the luxury of assembling the roster and experiencing postseason success. The record-breaking deal extension has the following implications for the Bengals salary cap.

With Burrow’s contract signed, attention will soon go to potential extensions for Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase.

Higgins is currently eligible for an extension and will be a free agency following the 2023 season. Cincinnati hasn’t traditionally negotiated extensions during the regular season, and players frequently aren’t enthusiastic about the concept either. But until the end of the season, Chase is not eligible for an extension.

The general consensus is that of the two receivers, Chase will garner more attention. He is considered as the better receiver in overall, and their natural connection dates back to their time as LSU teammates. He will, however, cost more than Higgins, thus the team will  likely be a bit more reticent to do anything that could jeopardize its chances to sign Chase to an extension next offseason.

Since Chase is one of the league’s top wide receivers, he is likely to want a sizable salary. Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, and Cooper Kupp are the highest-paid players at the position by average yearly pay, and the LSU product will undoubtedly want to be mentioned in that conversation with any new deal.

Higgins won’t fall into that group, but given his age of 24 and recent seasons in which he had more than 1,000 receiving yards, he will also earn a sizable contract. He undoubtedly gains from the defensive focus that Chase attracts, but he also plays a crucial role in the Bengals’ offensive strategy.

Cap remains cap. Yes, having Burrow, Chase, and Higgins on the roster would necessitate a significant cap cost.

On Friday, the day following Burrow’s agreement, Higgins was asked whether he thought contract discussions for him would pick up before the season began. The wide receiver said that he wasn’t sure.

“I have no clue,” Higgins said, according to ESPN. “My job is to come in every day and do what I do best — work and catch the ball from No. 9 [Burrow].”

Tyler Boyd, who is also a free agent after 2023, said he believed Higgins has received “the short end of the stick.”

The Bengals’ best course of action would seem to be to franchise tag Higgins in the summer and either negotiate an extension alongside Chase’s, retain him on the tag until the 2024 season, or sell him if they are unable to reach an agreement.

As of Thursday, the Bengals’ 2024 cap space is $64.2 million. That leaves a sizable amount of room to accommodate Higgins’ possible franchise tag, should the management determine that’s the best course of action.

 

 

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