AFC North

All eyes are on the wide receiver position for the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason, and that reportedly means a willingness to offer a "massive" signing bonus to Ja'Marr Chase.

ESPN's Dan Graziano reported Friday that the AFC North team "is likely to offer a massive signing bonus to try to convince Chase to sign while still holding to its policy" of not offering guaranteed money outside of the signing bonus for long-term deals.

Quarterback Joe Burrow's contract was the one understandable exception to that policy.

If Chase goes for this, it could mean a higher signing bonus than the $38 million one CeeDee Lamb landed from the Dallas Cowboys before the 2024 campaign.

It is something of a tricky situation for the Bengals' front office considering fellow wide receiver Tee Higgins is a free agent this offseason after playing the 2024 campaign on the franchise tag. The team will have to decide whether it wants to commit an exorbitant amount of resources to the position by keeping them both long term.

But it is nearly impossible to argue against keeping Chase.

Ja'Marr Chase has tied Carl Pickens for the @Bengals single-season record for TD catches (17) 👏👏👏 https://t.co/QNpVgpVbJF

— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025

After all, he finished with the receiving triple crown in 2024 by leading the league in catches (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17). He surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in each of his four seasons in the league and is arguably the best player at his position in the NFL.

His quarterback also wants him back.

"Week in and week out, he continues to make unbelievable plays, makes people miss, scores 50-plus-yard touchdowns," Burrow said when asked about Chase during ESPN's broadcast of the Pro Bowl Games on Thursday. "I mean, I don't know what more he could do to show and prove himself.

"We have several guys like that who have stepped up for us and deserve to be paid, and deserve to be paid what they're worth."

It seems like the Bengals are willing to pay Chase a significant amount.

Tee Higgins is going to get paid a lot of money from a team this offseason, but he's not expected to sign a deal at the very top of the wide-receiver market.

Per ESPN's Dan Graziano, the sense from some people around the NFL is that Higgins could sign for a deal worth more than Jaylen Waddle in average annual value and more guaranteed money than DeVonta Smith got on his extension from the Philadelphia Eagles.

On the latest episode of The Scoop City podcast (starts at 34:00 mark), The Athletic's Dianna Russini noted that Higgins "wants to have an answer" for what's next in his career "very soon" and he doesn't want things with the Cincinnati Bengals to drag out into the start of free agency.

Waddle signed a three-year, $84.75 million extension ($28.25 million per season) with the Miami Dolphins last offseason. Smith's three-year, $75 million extension with Philadelphia included just under $70 million in guaranteed money.

The $28.25 million average annual salary for Waddle ranks seventh among all receivers. Smith's total guaranteed money is the ninth-most among all players at the position.

All indications are the Bengals won't pay to keep Higgins when they also have to extend Ja'Marr Chase. General manager Duke Tobin told Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer on Thursday that "it's going to be hard" to keep both receivers.

"We feel like we have the resources to do it, but it all depends on how the negotiation goes and whether they're willing to accept wanting to come back at a number that makes sense for everybody."

Conway reported last offseason that Cincinnati's offer to Higgins "never approached" $20 million per season, so the idea the team would suddenly go to $28-29 million annually on a new deal seems hard to fathom.

It's not like everyone just became aware that Higgins is good and extremely valuable to the Bengals. He averaged more than 1,000 yards and six touchdowns per season in his first three seasons from 2020 to '22.

Joe Burrow spent a lot of time in the final month of the regular season campaigning for the organization to keep Higgins. The Bengals also have to address their defense, which ranked 25th in points allowed this season, if they want to get back to being a top-tier AFC contender in 2025.

The door for Higgins to return to Cincinnati next season might still be open, but it could close quickly depending on how talks between the two sides go leading up to the start of free agency on March 12.

Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker released a statement on Thursday denying the allegations against him in an article published by Julie Scharper, Brenna Smith and Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Banner:

pic.twitter.com/VpyOkYb5j5

— Justin Tucker (@jtuck9) January 30, 2025

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy released a statement addressing the matter, saying: "We first became aware of the allegations from the reporter investigating this story as they were not previously shared with the NFL. We take any allegation seriously and will look into the matter."

The Ravens also released a statement through a spokesperson, saying: "We are aware of the Baltimore Banner's story regarding Justin Tucker. We take any allegations of this nature seriously and will continue to monitor the situation."

Tucker joined the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and went on to become a seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro. His career field-goal percentage of 89.1 percent ranks first all-time in NFL history. He has three years remaining on his contract with Baltimore and is scheduled to make $4.2 million for the 2025 season.

Cincinnati Bengals' director of personnel Duke Tobin offered an update on where the organization stands when it comes to extending superstar wideout Ja'Marr Chase.

"It's a priority for us," he told Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "It's something we feel like there's a framework to work off of. Should be a pretty easy framework to work off of. Guys in his position have recently re-done contracts. We believe in Ja'Marr, he's very important to us. The other guys that have done contracts are very important to their teams. So, we believe there's a real framework to work off of. I would expect that we could come together on something that makes sense for both sides."

That "framework" ostensibly is a reference to the four-year, $140 million deal Justin Jefferson signed with the Minnesota Vikings ($110 million guaranteed) and the four-year, $136 million deal CeeDee Lamb signed with the Dallas Cowboys ($100 million guaranteed) last offseason.

Chase will likely seek to exceed both deals, however, after leading the NFL in catches (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17) during the 2024 season. He was just the sixth player in the Super Bowl era to win the receiving triple crown and the first since Cooper Kupp accomplished the feat in 2021.

Oh, and he's only 24.

Chase will play the 2025 season on a $21.8 million fifth-year option, but extending him for the long term would be the best option for both player and team. The Bengals operated similarly with Joe Burrow in 2023, signing him to a five-year, $275 million extension as he was heading into his option year.

The Burrow extension and pending agreement with Chase may end up costing the Bengals Tee Higgins, who will hit free agency this offseason. Losing Higgins would be a major blow—he registered 73 catches for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games this past season—but the Bengals will head into free agency with $49.9 million in cap space and major decisions about where to best utilize those resources.

The only pair of WRs in the Top 10 of PFF grading this season:

Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase 🐅 https://t.co/2ly8WZeBx8

— PFF (@PFF) January 28, 2025

Burrow, meanwhile, will have some role in the team's offseason plans. Tobin told Conway that he has already met with the quarterback for his review of the team's strategy:

Another interesting nugget from my interview with Duke Tobin is that he revealed that he meets with Joe Burrow before every offseason gets underway and has already met with Burrow ahead of this critical offseason

The full interview will be posted on https://t.co/8jQzp8YqCo this…

— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) January 29, 2025

Burrow has publicly supported the both Chase and Higgins getting new contracts, but it remains to be seen if his lobbying will alter the team's plans.

On the defensive side alone, the Bengals are either going to need to re-sign or replace defensive tackle B.J. Hill, edge-rusher Joseph Ossai, slot cornerback Mike Hilton and linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither, among others. Offensively, they'll need to make similar decisions on Higgins, tight end Mike Gesicki and offensive lineman Cody Ford.

Chase is going to get his extension and reset the wideout market, as he should. But it is going to absolutely impact how the Bengals approach the rest of free agency and the draft this offseason.

Joe Burrow's public attempts to encourage the Cincinnati Bengals to keep both of their star wide receivers don't seem likely to pay off.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, executives around the NFL are "skeptical" the Bengals will pay up to give both Tee Higgins a new contract and sign Ja'Marr Chase to a long-term extension.

One executive for an AFC team told Fowler it's "possible" for the Bengals to do it, but they would have to make "significant trade-offs" in other areas on the roster to make it happen.

"They will have close to $70 million a year tied up in receivers, plus the quarterback cost. I think it makes more sense to go the cheap route, especially given the improvements they need to make on defense," the executive said.

It has felt like a foregone conclusion for about 10 months that Higgins would be playing on another team in 2025. The Bengals used the franchise tag last offseason to keep him on the roster for 2024, but they never seemed to seriously engage him in talks for a long-term deal.

Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported in April that Cincinnati's offers "never approached" $20 million annually.

Higgins even acknowledged at the start of training camp that the 2024 season "could be the last ride for me and the guys."

After staying silent about the situation for most of the season, Burrow used his voice to make sure the Bengals knew he wanted Higgins back.

Joe Burrow on if there would be disappointment if the team couldn’t sign Higgins. “I’d be very disappointed in that.”

Obviously the team has many needs. Burrow making clear his view there.

“Tee is a need.”

— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) December 11, 2024

While the reputation of Bengals ownership is often unfavorable when it comes to paying up for star players, this is a roster that has several needs to fill that becomes more difficult to do if you're paying two wide receivers top-of-the-market money.

Of course, the Bengals haven't yet proven they are going to pay one receiver at that level. They were in talks with Chase about a long-term deal throughout the summer, but those discussions reportedly broke down over the payout of guaranteed money.

The price tag for Chase was already high going into 2024, but it's probably gone up after he won the receiving triple crown with 127 catches, 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns.

On top of a potential record-setting deal for Chase, the Bengals also have to fix a defense that finished 25th in points allowed per game. They allowed at least 25 points in 11 of 17 games this season.

The one great defensive player the Bengals have is Trey Hendrickson, who was threatening to retire and requested a trade last offseason because he wanted a new contract. He wound up playing on his current deal then led the NFL with 17.5 sacks this season.

Now, Hendrickson will be going into the final year of his contract with a $15.8 million base salary. That seems like a situation the Bengals will also have to figure out.

It's a champagne problem to have this many great players, but it's only good for the team if they show a willingness to pay at least some of them to keep their nucleus together and improve on the margins.

Those margins are where the Bengals were significantly hurt this season because they didn't do a good job of building around Burrow, Chase, Higgins and Hendrickson. They're entering an offseason when they might lose Higgins in free agency.

The Baltimore Ravens are bringing a veteran coach onto their staff.

The team announced Tuesday that they have hired Chuck Pagano to be their defensive staff as their senior secondary coach. Pagano was the Indianapolis Colts head coach from 2012 to 2017 and was most recently the Chicago Bears defensive coordinator from 2019 to 2020.

We’re excited to welcome back Chuck Pagano as our Sr. Secondary Coach! pic.twitter.com/CfwatDQetI

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 29, 2025

"It is exciting to add Coach Chuck Pagano to our defensive staff and continue to develop and grow our young and talented secondary," head coach Jim Harbaugh said in a statement. "Chuck brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and coaching talent to our team. He has deep ties to the program and is excited to get to work."

Pagano cut his teeth in the collegiate ranks early in his career before getting his start in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns in 2001 as a secondary coach. He was the Oakland Raiders defensive backs coach from 2005 to 2006 and left the NFL for one season to be North Carolina's defensive coordinator in 2007.

He joined Harbaugh's staff in Baltimore a year later as a secondary coach and stayed in that role until 2011 when he was promoted to defensive coordinator.

After his time with the Colts and the Bears, his time as a coach appeared to be over as he announced his retirement following the 2020 season.

"As much as I love coaching, it takes a lot of time away from your family and loved ones," he said in a statement announcing his retirement. "I'm excited to start this new chapter of my life and can't wait to be able to spend more time with my family. This has been an amazing ride and I have made countless relationships that I will cherish forever."

Now Pagano will reunite with Harbaugh, and together the two will look to get Baltimore into Super Bowl shape after years of teetering on the edge of competing for a championship.

The Cleveland Browns aren't worried about Colorado head coach Deion Sanders preventing his son, Shedeur, from playing for the AFC North team should it choose the former Buffaloes quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

"I don't anticipate that being a problem," Browns general manager Andrew Berry said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

It was a question because of comments Deion Sanders made earlier this month during an appearance on the Tamron Hall Show (h/t Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today).

"It's not like that," Sanders said when asked if he told his sons who he wants them to play for at the next level. "It's not like who I would like for him to play for. It's a couple of teams that I won't allow him to play for. So it's not like that. But this is my profession. I know what's behind the curtain. We ain't got to get back there for me to understand what's behind the curtain and what's not prominent for my son. I'm not doing it."

Cleveland would be a logical destination for Sanders.

After all, it is coming off a 3-14 season with no long-term answer at the quarterback position. The Deshaun Watson addition has been abysmal to say the least, and he may not be available for the 2025 season after tearing his Achilles for a second time.

That leaves more questions than answers, and it's no surprise the Browns were one of the teams to meet with Sanders at the East-West Shrine Bowl.

"Shedeur is a really impressive young man," Berry said. "He's poised, he's calm, he's smart and you can tell that he's been raised by—quite honestly—a Hall of Fame dad. We're going to get to know him even more over the course of the spring, but he's really impressive."

Earlier this month, B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranked Sanders as the second-best quarterback in this draft behind only Miami's Cam Ward. However, it projected the Tennessee Titans to take Sanders and the Browns to end up with Ward in its latest mock draft.

The Sanders situation will be worth monitoring ahead of the draft, especially as he begins to solidify himself as a potential top pick. That his father just so happens to be a Hall of Famer who turned heads with comments suggesting he could prevent the signal-caller from playing somewhere only adds another layer.

That is especially true with the Browns given past comments from Deion Sanders:

I love what the @Browns have done this offseason but if im a young QB ain't no way im going to Cleveland. I would pull a ELI MANNING If possible. #ThinkAboutthat #Truth

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) March 13, 2018

Still, that social-media post was from nearly seven years ago when the Cleveland front office looked quite different. Berry had nothing but positive things to say about both of the Sanders, and the AFC North team will surely continue to evaluate the situation as the draft approaches.

Pittsburgh Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II said in his end-of-season press conference that wide receiver George Pickens has both "talent" and "room to grow" ahead of his contract year in 2025.

Rooney also said the Steelers have not yet discussed an extension with Pickens, Bob Labriola reported for the team's website.

Here's Rooney's answer when asked about Pickens, per Labriola:

I think wide receiver is an area we've got to look at improving. George is a very talented player who has room to grow. We'd like to see him grow and hopefully he realizes the potential that he has, but definitely room for growth there.

Every team seems to have one or two guys in that room who you have to manage correctly. I still think George has enough talent that we've got to try to work and see if we can get him to fulfill the talent that he really has. Who knows if we can get there? We'll see.

But when you have guys who are as talented as some of the guys you're probably thinking of, you try to work with them and have them help you be successful.

Pickens led Steelers receivers with 900 receiving yards in 14 games this season.

Russ. Pickens. SIX.

The @Steelers take advantage of the turnover.

📺: #NYJvsPIT on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/pBbbhXiRSy

— NFL (@NFL) October 21, 2024

He also took multiple costly penalties in a season during which he received more than $90,000 in fines reported publicly by the NFL.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said after Pickens netted two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in a Week 13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals that the receiver "has just got to grow up."

When asked again about Pickens after the Steelers' season ended with a Wild Card round loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Tomlin answered only that the Steelers had not yet discussed any player extensions and that the team was "still assessing" the results of the 2024 season.

Pickens, the No. 2 selection of the 2022 NFL draft, has one year and an estimated $3.25 million remaining on his rookie contract, per Spotrac.

Given that neither Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields are signed for next season, and the possibility that Pickens could be a trade candidate if the Steelers decide not to re-sign him, both the QB1 and WR1 positions in Pittsburgh seem currently undecided heading into the 2025 season.

Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II confirmed that the team will attempt to bring either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields back under center for the 2025 season.

"My preference would be to sign one of those quarterbacks (Russell Wilson or Justin Fields)," Rooney said on Monday, via 93.7 The Fan. "Obviously, we will be looking in the draft as well either this year or next. That (quarterback position) has to be the priority."

He expressed that the quarterback spot is a "key piece of the puzzle that needs to be addressed" and said that it's unlikely both Wilson and Fields would be back with the team next season (via Bob Labriola of the team's official website).

"I wouldn't close the door, but I'd say it's probably unlikely," Rooney said, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "I think both of them see themselves as starters and I don't know that they want to share the same job again next year. So, I would say most likely we probably don't wind up bringing them both back."

Wilson has held some initial discussions with the front office surrounding a return, confirming that he's had "meetings" with the Steelers regarding his impending free agency during a Wednesday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

Pittsburgh also seems to be leaving the door open for Fields to come back. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported Jan. 13 that the team "would love to keep working with" the former first-round pick but noted that "it might not be as a starter."

Pittsburgh acquired both signal-callers during the 2024 offseason, signing Wilson in free agency before trading a 2025 conditional sixth-round pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for Fields.

Wilson was named the Steelers' starter entering the regular season, but a calf injury kept him sidelined until Week 7.

Fields performed admirably, throwing for 1,106 yards and five touchdowns compared to one interception through six games. He also rushed for 231 yards and five more scores, as Pittsburgh sat at 4-2.

The fake. The run. The score.

Justin Fields takes it himself to extend the @Steelers lead!

📺: #PITvsLV on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/qjlIx1oZKG

— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024

Wilson also looked sharp after making his return, completing 63.7 percent of his throws for 2,482 yards and 16 touchdowns while getting picked off just five times.

Russ to Calvin Austin ‼️

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/d7D7T0xyUZ

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) October 29, 2024

The Steelers' end to the season could cause some hesitation from Pittsburgh regarding a reunion with Wilson, as the team lost five straight games to close out the year. This included a 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, but it's worth noting that the veteran passer threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns in the postseason defeat.

As Pittsburgh looks to secure its first playoff win since the 2016 season, the team could bring back one of its two 2024 starting quarterbacks in free agency.

The Baltimore Ravens are reportedly finalizing a contract extension with offensive coordinator Todd Monken on Monday.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Ravens are completing an extension agreement with Monken after he generated interest from multiple opposing teams regarding their head coaching vacancies.

The 58-year-old is coming off his second season as Baltimore's offensive coordinator.

Monken interviewed with the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Las Vegas Raiders also submitted an interview request during the current hiring cycle.

His extension should be especially exciting for Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who told reporters that he was "hopeful" Monken would be back with Baltimore after its 2024 season ended in the divisional round of the playoffs (via Clifton Brown of the team's official website).

"Todd Monken will be a great head coach," Harbaugh said. "He's an old-school football coach with kind of a new school and a great mind. Always creative. He works well with his staff. I'm really excited about 3.0, that iteration of this offense going forward."

Before joining the Ravens, Monken was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Georgia from 2020-22. He was also the offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns in 2019 and held the same role with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2016 through the 2018 season.

Baltimore's offense has been one of the NFL's best under Monken, averaging a league-leading 424.9 total yards per game during the regular season. The Ravens have also owned the NFL's No. 4 and No. 3 scoring offenses in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Lamar to Mark Andrews for the 10th time this season! #NFLonNetflix#BALvsHOU on @Netflix pic.twitter.com/giQujpgvNo

— NFL (@NFL) December 25, 2024

While quarterback Lamar Jackson was already one of the top players at his position prior to Monken's arrival, he's excelled since the offensive coordinator was brought in.

Jackson has combined to throw for 7,850 yards and 65 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions over the past two seasons. He's also rushed for 1,736 yards and nine more scores over that same span.

Lamar Jackson is the first QB in history to pass for 4,000+ yards and rush for 800+ in a single season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/uaAzHT0srE

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) January 4, 2025

Monken has helped the Ravens cultivate one of the league's elite offenses, and he's reportedly finalizing a long-term extension to remain with the team moving forward.