Cincinnati Bengals

The return on a hypothetical Ja'Marr Chase might be too good for the Cincinnati Bengals to pass up, according to Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame.

Verderame said he spoke with six sources from NFL front offices about the Bengals wide receiver, and "almost all believe Cincinnati would either get a deal equivalent to or likely exceeding what the Kansas City Chiefs got when they traded Tyreek Hill in March 2022."

The Chiefs got five draft picks from the Miami Dolphins when they dealt Hill. The highest of those selections was the No. 29 pick in 2022, which they used to move up and take cornerback Trent McDuffie at No. 21.

Before the 2024 season kicked off, you would've considered an extension for Chase to be a no-brainer. Through his first three seasons, he had 3,717 receiving yards and 29 touchdown grabs.

A three-time Pro Bowler already, there's no doubt as to the 24-year-old's standing as an elite pass-catcher.

But the Bengals' performance as a team is raising big questions about what lies ahead.

Cincinnati has invested a lot of draft capital in its defense over the last few years yet it ranks 27th in yards allowed and 31st in scoring. Wide receiver Tee Higgins is headed for free agency. Joe Burrow's salary cap hit climbs from $29.7 million to $46.3 million in 2025, and it only keeps going up from there.

The franchise's championship window hasn't closed for good with Burrow on the roster. It might need a year or two to reset, though.

Flipping Chase for draft picks, especially multiple picks within the first three rounds, would help lay the foundation for the next Bengals team that can contend for a Super Bowl.

In terms of replacing Chase, Cincinnati's front office has displayed an eye for skilled receivers as well. Chase, Higgins and Andrei Iosivas all arrived through the draft.

The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. nonetheless questioned the domino effect of the Bengals trading their best wideout and one who has a strong rapport with Burrow.

"That's a move that looks far better on paper than in practice," he argued. "The unintended consequences and locker room fallout are catastrophic. Might as well just trade Burrow, too, if that's the philosophy (don't do that either!)."

Despite signing Burrow to a five-year, $275 million contract, the Bengals are unable to shake their longstanding reputation for being cheap. Trading Chase in lieu of paying him, despite the potential benefits from a team-building perspective, would further reinforce that perception.

Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow is channeling his inner Bruce Wayne with his latest extravagant purchase.

During the premiere episode of HBO's Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North, Burrow revealed that he's now the owner of one of the 10 licensed and fully functional Batmobiles that are sold by Wayne Enterprises Experiences. According to ESPN's Ben Baby, the cost of the replica vehicle is $2.99 million.

"Have I told you I bought a Batmobile?" Burrow told wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase during a practice last week. "I don't get it for like a year, but I bought one."

According to Baby, the vehicle features "a 6.2-liter General Motors engine that produces 525 horsepower, imitation gun turrets, a smokescreen delivery system and a jet engine simulation." However, it shouldn't be expected that flames will shoot out of the tailpipe the way they do in the movies.

The Batmobile will be the latest addition to Burrow's collection of luxury vehicles. Over the summer, he revealed his acquisition of a fully electric truck called the Lordstown Endurance, which was manufactured by Lordstown Motors in Lordstown, Ohio, and features customizations like Burrow's number and the Bengals' team colors painted on the door.

Burrow is the second-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL with an average annual salary of $55 million, so these purchases are drops in the bucket for the 27-year-old.

Unfortunately, there hasn't been much else to celebrate this season for the Bengals, who have a 4-8 record and are one game out of last place in the AFC North. Perhaps Burrow will be able to provide some positive vibes if he fully commits to his Batman persona.

"I think I gotta go all-in and go for like the expensive batsuit," Burrow told Chase.

For now, Burrow will focus on trying to help the Bengals end their three-game losing streak when they visit the Dallas Cowboys (5-7) on Monday Night Football.

The long-term status of Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is becoming a topic of discussion around the NFL, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"For example, I've had multiple coaches in the league text me this week about the Bengals job, wondering if Zac Taylor is on the hot seat," Fowler reported Wednesday. "Not sure I see that, given some of the goodwill Taylor has built up there and owner Mike Brown's propensity for cost control (Taylor has two more years left on his deal). But the next month will be about deciphering what's real and what's not. And perhaps Taylor will make staff changes there."

The Bengals reached the Super Bowl in 2021 and returned to the AFC title game in 2022 with Taylor at the helm, but their 4-8 record is beginning to turn up the heat on the head coach, at least within the fanbase.

Joe Burrow is having an MVP-type season with 3,337 passing yards and 30 touchdowns through 12 games, and it's being completely wasted because Cincinnati's defense can't stop anybody.

And the frustration toward Taylor goes beyond that.

The Bengals have consistently had to dig themselves out of an early hole in recent years. They dropped their first two games of 2022 before going 1-3 to open 2023. This season was even worse as they were 1-4 through early October.

At a certain point, Taylor has to answer for the fact Cincinnati has come up short in so many close games, too. Seven of its eight losses so far were by seven points or fewer.

As Fowler laid out, it's ultimately tough to see the Bengals firing Taylor this offseason unless their performance truly craters.

ESPN's Bill Barnwell examined the coach's job security on Monday after Cincy gave up 44 points and 520 yards in a defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He concluded that "it's more likely the struggles will fall on defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo."

Beyond the raw numbers (369.2 yards and 28.3 points allowed per game), Barnwell cited the lack of improvement from the Bengals' draft picks who were supposed to anchor the defense.

Assuming Taylor is back in 2025 with some changes to the coaching staff, it could be much more of a make-or-break season in terms of his future.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin made an interesting comparison when describing Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.

Tomlin compared Higgins to NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal after the Steelers played aggressively against him on Sunday.

"When you're playing Shaq, we're going to use our fouls," he said, per SteelersDepot's Alex Kozora.

The comparison to O'Neal is quite the compliment as the Hall of Famer was arguably the most dominant basketball player of all time. Higgins hasn't had quite the same career as O'Neal, but being in the same sentence as him is a good sign.

The Steelers clearly came into Sunday's game with a plan to keep the ball out of Higgins' hands even if it meant committing penalties. Pittsburgh cornerback Joey Porter was called for six penalties on Sunday, which was the most by an NFL cornerback since 2022.

The plan was somewhat successful as he logged just five receptions on 10 targets for 69 yards, his fewest since Week 4. Still, Higgins found the end zone once and the Bengals put up 38 points.

Cincinnati's high-powered offense wasn't enough to get past the Steelers, though, as Russell Wilson threw for 414 yards and three touchdowns as Pittsburgh piled on 44 points.

Following the Cincinnati Bengals' 44-38 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, quarterback Joe Burrow admitted feeling the pressure that comes with his role.

"I feel the pressure on me to be great," Burrow told reporters after the game. "That's part of playing quarterback in the NFL. I just have to play to the absolute peak of my ability every week for us to go and win. Some games I've done that. Some games I haven't."

During Sunday's game against the Steelers, Burrow completed 28-of-38 passes for 309 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and lost two fumbles in the defeat.

The Bengals fell to 4-8 on the season but have a lighter schedule ahead, providing an opportunity to secure more wins as they aim for a postseason berth.

However, Burrow's focus is not on the playoffs at the moment.

"Playoffs, I mean, furthest thing from my mind," Burrow said bluntly, per NFL.com's Eric Edholm.

To add to the sting of the loss, the Bengals have now dropped four or more games this season despite scoring at least 33 points, making them the first team in NFL history to accomplish this dubious feat, according to ESPN's Ben Baby.

The Bengals have no trouble scoring, but they need to make significant improvements on defense if they want to start doing "enough to win."

"Not enough to win. Not enough to win," Burrow said, per Edholm. "Some good, some bad, just like every week. But not enough to win."

With five games left in the season, Burrow believes the atmosphere in the locker room will reveal a lot about the team's mindset.

"I think we'll learn a lot about who we have in the locker room -- the guys we can count on going forward and guys that we can't," Burrow told reporters.

The Bengals will aim to snap their three-game losing streak when they face the Dallas Cowboys on the road next Monday.

For the first time since his season-ending wrist surgery a year ago, Joe Burrow will play in a cold-weather game.

The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback said he is uncertain if the temperature will have an impact on his wrist during Sunday's matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"That's a question that remains to be answered," Burrow said, per the Cincinnati Enquirer's Kelsey Conway. "I haven't experienced a cold weather game with that yet. In the past when I've had injuries, cold weather does affect it, so we'll find out. Maybe I'll have a heater on the sideline or something. I haven't really thought about that yet, but we'll see."

Temperatures in Cincinnati on Sunday will be the coldest Burrow and the Bengals have played in this year—around 28 degrees and potentially in the high teens. Burrow was honest that cold weather has impacted his injuries before, but his wrist could be a different story.

The Bengals need Burrow at his best on Sunday as they look to make a miraculous playoff push to end the season.

With just six games remaining, Cincinnati is 4-7 on the year and would likely need to win out to make the postseason. That isn't an unrealistic goal as the Bengals have a handful of manageable opponents but two matchups against Pittsburgh.

Burrow has been tremendous after playing just 10 games a year ago. Through 11 games, he's thrown for 3,028 yards and 27 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He leads the league in touchdowns, has the third-most passing yards and the second-best quarterback rating at 75.6.

Burrow's favorite target, Ja'Marr Chase, is also having a career year. The wide receiver leads the league in receiving yards with 1,056 and receiving touchdowns with 12. He's hauled in the third-most catches with 73.

But the standout years from Burrow and Chase haven't been quite enough to make up for a subpar defense and the Bengals are potentially looking at back-to-back seasons with no postseason.

NFL teams may dislike game-planning against Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase more than even Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"Though Justin Jefferson has been the consensus top receiver over the past two years, many scouts and coaches believe Chase strikes more fear in opponents because of his big-play ability," Fowler wrote.

Chase is in pole position in the triple crown race with 73 catches for 1,056 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns through 11 games.

Jefferson meanwhile has made 59 catches for 1,056 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns through ten games with the Vikings.

Chase's performance in what could end up being a career season hasn't translated to on-field success for the 4-7 Bengals.

Most recently, Chase hauled in seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns to power Cincinnati back from a 27-6 third-quarter deficit to a tied game on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Two missed field goals and a late Chargers touchdown led the Bengals short of what would have been the largest road comeback in franchise history.

The contest nonetheless served as proof of Chase's status as a game-changer and raises questions about how the Bengals plan to handle his upcoming contract expiration.

Chase is set to play the 2025 season on a $21.8 million club option. The wideout held out from practice this offseason before returning without an extension, and the Bengals seem unlikely to get him on the field without a longer-term contract a second time around.

Fowler reported that the belief around the NFL is that the Bengals and Chase were "close" to agreeing on average annual value for the extension prior to the season, but guarantees were the sticking point in the negotiations.

"The feeling here is Cincinnati lets Tee Higgins walk in free agency and allocates resources for Chase... If not, expect Chase to stay far away from the team for a while," Fowler wrote.

Should Chase continue establishing himself as one of the most difficult receivers to play against, he could put himself on track to set a positional record with his next deal. Jefferson currently holds the most lucrative contract of any wideout in NFL history thanks to the four-year, $140 million extension he signed in June.

The Cincinnati Bengals have two elite wide receivers who will be looking to get paid this offseason, but only one of them will likely get the deal they want from their current team.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the "feeling" in NFL circles right now is the Bengals will allow Higgins to leave as a free agent to allocate financial resources for a Ja'Marr Chase extension.

The Bengals haven't exactly hidden the fact they don't plan to keep both of their star receivers on the roster for the long-term. Higgins, who is currently playing on the franchise tag, has been extension eligible since after the 2022 season.

After seeking a trade last offseason when the Bengals placed the franchise tag on him, Higgins rescinded his request and decided to play on the one-year tender.

"I had time to reflect and think. I had long talks with my agent. A lot of back and forth about what I wanted to do," Higgins said of his decision. "I just made the decision to sign the tag. At the end of the day, I just wanted to come out here and try to win a Super Bowl. I'm happy with the decision I made. I'm here for the Bengals for the 2024 season. I'm ready to get it done and get with my guys."

Bengals ownership hasn't historically been open to paying for multiple top-tier players, to say nothing of the difficulty in a salary cap league of keeping two receivers who could realistically get deals worth at least $30 million annually.

Trey Hendrickson, who also asked for a trade early in the offseason due to a contract dispute, is only signed through 2025. His value has only increased this season since he has been the only viable pass-rusher the Bengals have right now.

Chase had extension talks with the Bengals during the offseason, but the two sides were unable to come to terms.

Per James Rapien of SI.com, the Bengals and Chase came close to an agreement on a four-year, $140 million pact with $90 million guaranteed, which included a $30 million signing bonus.

Talks fell apart over when the guaranteed money would kick in because the Bengals wanted to push it further down the line, which offered Chase no protection in the event of a major injury.

The top of the market for wide receivers now starts at $30 million. Justin Jefferson is the highest-paid wideout at $35 million per season on his deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

Cincinnati does have Joe Burrow locked in to a long-term deal when he signed a five-year, $275 million extension in September 2023.

Higgins' exact value is difficult to pin down because he has missed 10 games since the start of the 2023 season due to injuries, but his performance when he plays is undeniable.

The 25-year-old is averaging a career-high 81.5 yards per game this season. He had a season-high 148 yards and a touchdown on nine catches in Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

There are plenty of receiver-needy teams that will be happy to pay Higgins this offseason when he is expected to become a free agent.

The Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys have both failed to meet expectations during the 2024 season, but their Week 14 matchup on Monday Night Football won't be flexed.

According to SI.com's Jay Morrison, the game isn't eligible to be flexed because of the "drawings, voiceovers and other work" that has already been done for The Simpsons Funday Football alternate broadcast.

ESPN and Disney announced the alternate viewing presentation on Oct. 28, which will air on Disney+ and ESPN+. A traditional broadcast of the game is also still available on ESPN and ABC.

The Bengals erased a 21-point deficit against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday but couldn't emerge victorious, losing their third game in four weeks and dropping to 4-7 on the season as a whole.

Starting quarterback Joe Burrow has been stellar despite Cincinnati's poor record, completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,028 yards and 27 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions.

As for the Cowboys, they own a 3-6 record heading into a clash with the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. Dallas has also struggled mightily after reaching 12 wins in each of the previous three seasons and is currently in the midst of a four-game losing streak.

Cowboys starting signal-caller Dak Prescott won't suit up against Cincinnati. Prescott suffered a hamstring injury during a Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons and was placed on season-ending injured reserve.

While both teams are on track to miss the playoffs, their upcoming battle on Dec. 9 will still be featured on ESPN due to the preparation for the alternate broadcast.

Ja'Marr Chase directed questions regarding the Cincinnati Bengals' play-calling to head coach Zac Taylor following a 34-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football.

"I don't know," Chase told reporters after the game. "Ask Zac, ask the coaches. Don't ask me. That's not my job."

"I play football on the field," he added. "I don't call plays for us, you know? So, I can't really do nothing."

The star wide receiver caught seven of 13 targets for 75 yards and two touchdowns in the defeat.

Taylor's play-calling has come under fire throughout the season, as six of Cincinnati's seven losses in 2024 have been in one-score games.

He insisted that changes didn't need to be made following Sunday's defeat, though.

"I think we all watch the game and we can see it's just coming down to one play in every single game," Taylor said, per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "So why would you make a big wholesale change? That to me is just panic. That's not what we're about. We believe in what we're doing. And so again, we're not going to be those people that just panic because the record is 4-7 and we start making all of these significant changes."

It's been a disappointing year for a Bengals team that entered the regular season with playoff aspirations, especially considering the stellar play of Chase and quarterback Joe Burrow.

Burrow has completed 67.2 percent of his throws for 3,028 yards and 27 touchdowns compared to a mere four interceptions in 11 starts.

Meanwhile, Chase leads the NFL in receptions (73), receiving yards (1,056) and touchdown catches (12) through the first 11 weeks of the year.

Although the duo previously helped Cincinnati reach consecutive AFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl LVI appearance, defensive issues and struggles in close games have the Bengals rapidly falling out of the playoff picture.

After the team was unable to emerge victorious despite erasing a 21-point deficit against Los Angeles, Chase didn't have any answers regarding Cincinnati's play-calling.