Of all the owners in the NFL, Mike Brown is probably not among the most respected by players. Though he comes from unimpeachable pedigree as the son of the great Paul Brown, as owner of the Cincinnati Bengals, he hasn’t exactly done much over the course of his tenure to encourage winning—or to encourage his players to stay.
Or to make sure that they stay by giving them reasonable contracts. That’s something former Bengals FS Jessie Bates III just went through. After playing the 2022 season under the franchise tag, very much against his will, he finally got his windfall from the Atlanta Falcons, signing a four-year, $64 million contract, including $36 million fully guaranteed, covering the first half of the contract.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins, who may soon be in the same boat, was paying attention. Theoretically he should be due for an extension now, but it’s unclear if that will happen with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase in the pipeline. Even Brown cast some doubt on the feasibility of that idea. And so he drew lessons from his former teammate.
“Yeah, I actually did”, he told reporters about learning from Bates’ journey; they are represented by the same agency. “He still kept his head high and finished the season with us and went and got his money at the end of the day”.
Although he never made the Pro Bowl with the Bengals, Bates was a consistent player at the free safety position. Over five seasons, he recorded 479 tackles, 14 interceptions, and 43 passes defensed, including one returned for a touchdown. He had a career-high four interceptions under the tag last season before signing his big deal.
“Just thinking about that gives me peace of mind, but at the end of the day, it’s just God’s timing”, Higgins said knowing about how things turned out for Bates even though he didn’t get what he felt he deserved from Cincinnati.
A second-round pick out of Clemson, Higgins has been much like Bates in terms of performance consistency. Over his first three seasons, he has caught 215 passes for 3,028 yards and 19 touchdowns, with rather similar numbers year to year (though he only played in 14 games in 2021, he recorded a career-high 1,091 yards).
At this point it seems impossible for the Bengals to make it into the regular season without getting Burrow, who is now expected to miss several weeks due to a calf injury, signed to a long-term deal. The timetable for that may dictate whether they even approach Higgins.
By next year, Chase, a 2021 first-round pick, will be going into Year Four. Though he’ll surely have his fifth-year option picked up, the Bengals will have to consider how they approach his future. Do they extend him next offseason? Do they wait until Year Five? And do they tag Higgins? What would Higgins be willing to sign for now?
