The Cincinnati Bengals don’t have the best reputation in the NFL when it comes to their business relations with players. QB Joe Burrow is hoping to see that change, but only time will tell. While they reportedly intend to satisfy their top players due for new deals this offseason, it won’t be easy to do. And even then, says Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, there is a communication issue.
“There’s an important difference between silence and distance”, Dehner recently wrote, indicating that the Bengals’ front office often goes without communicating with the team’s players while in negotiations. “I’ve had players ask me personally what I know about what the team will do on major decisions, feeling lost in the dark. The Bengals must evaluate how they handle these discussions, specifically those with their best players”.
It’s probably not a good thing if players are asking reporters if they’ve heard anything about the Bengals’ contract plans. Granted, teams are not obligated to keep players in the loop about everything by any means. And certainly, Cincinnati is far from alone, at least occasionally. We’ve had Steelers players say at different points that they didn’t have any discussions. At other times, we have had players acknowledge the team told them they don’t plan on doing an extension.
But in the case of the Bengals, we’re talking about their upper echelon. And the cases of Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson are far from new or novel. “From my seat, that’s been the problem in so many of these situations that have gone sideways in Cincinnati. A.J. Green, Andrew Whitworth, Jessie Bates, Jonah Williams, DJ Reader, Trey Hendrickson, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, among others, have voiced criticisms of the lack of communication they’ve felt about their situations with the front office”, Dehner wrote.
He added that the Bengals have to seriously evaluate this, suggesting more communication up front about expectations. They also have a tendency to start off with low-ball offers, as they did with Tee Higgins a year ago. “By any stretch, this offseason will be a test of that strategy and one they need to analyze and learn from mistakes of recent years”.
The NFL salary cap includes spending floors for both cap and cash, so it’s not like any organization really has the option of going “cheap” anymore. Sure, there are some ways to cut a corner here or there, but ultimately, even the Bengals have to spend.
And a team in a Super Bowl window has every incentive to spend in the present. While the Bengals have missed the playoffs the past two years, they are very much a contender. Were it not for a defensive regression last season, they had a championship-caliber offense. And the Bengals want to make sure they retain that with new deals for Chase and Higgins.
