Contract Forecasts: Cincinnati Bengals WRs

Photo: Ken Blaze, USA Today Sports

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Forecasting contract situations is an underrated yet critical piece of dynasty roster construction. Players like Dalvin Cook, Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, and Stefon Diggs have instilled fear into managers in recent memory, but knowing about potential barriers to fantasy production or scene changes can benefit dynasty managers. This series will use Over The Cap to look at possible contract situations, analyzing their likelihood to become problematic for fantasy and how to approach each player's value now. Up next are the Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers.

Cincinnati Bengals Salary Cap Outlook

Before diving into the wide receiver room, it's crucial to remember that the Bengals must pay Joe Burrow an extraordinary amount of money soon. That fact complicates the future outlook of the receiver room. Justin Herbert recently signed a five-year, $262.5-million contract extension with $133.7 guaranteed at signing. For perspective, Justin Herbert's 2024 cap hit is $19.345 million. Many project Burrow to eclipse that, albeit by a marginal amount. Still, the Chargers structured Herbert's deal to push the massive cap hits to the later years, with a $71M hit in 2028. The Bengals currently boast $61,971,701 million in cap space for 2024, with key defensive players needing contracts on top of potential offensive weapon extensions.

Ja'Marr Chase

• Age: 23
• Contract: 4 years, $30,819,642
• 2024 Cap Hit: $9,806,250
• 2024 Cap Percentage: 3.8%

Bringing Ja'Marr Chase up is essential, though the Bengals will undoubtedly retain him. Luckily, they can exercise his fifth-year option and push his extension down the line a year (more on why that's lucky soon). While Chase's fifth-year option number is still technically unknown, it's worth noting that Justin Jefferson's option would be $19,743,000 (two Pro Bowls increase that total from the standard $14,124,000 that Jefferson would traditionally receive; Chase also has two Pro Bowls to his name thus far).

The Bengals don't necessarily have to exercise the option. With the creativity needed to keep a solid third wideout, they may be wiser to extend him as soon as he becomes eligible following the 2023 season. That would allow them to transition some of the cap hit into a signing bonus, expanding their ability to add talent and keep the Super Bowl window ajar.

For dynasty, managers need not worry about Chase's tie to Burrow. He'll almost certainly remain in Cincinnati for at least six more seasons, a constant that makes managers confident in Chase as a top-two dynasty receiver.

Tee Higgins

• Age: 24
• Contract: 4 years, $8,686,788
• 2024 Cap Hit: N/A
• 2024 Cap Percentage: N/A

Surprise! Higgins's lack of a deal past 2023 is why creativity is necessary. The Bengals are lucky enough to boast two top-tier wideouts, and retaining Higgins should remain high on general manager Duke Tobin's priority list. This spring, Tobin "scoffed" at the idea of trading the star wideout, indicating contract negotiations were on the horizon. Unfortunately, Higgins doesn't have the benefit of a fifth-year option, though it's likely that the team would utilize its franchise tag if negotiations became stagnant.

The wide receiver franchise tag is $19,743,000, too, and that, combined with Burrow and Chase extensions, would eat most of the available cap space. Burrow isn't oblivious, though, saying, "Whenever you have guys on the team that need to be paid, that's always on your mind. You want that to be a focal point. So, we're working to make that happen." Burrow's apparent willingness to take care of his teammates indicates they'll be playing together for a long time. Pro Football Focus' Brad Spielberger projects Higgins will sign a four-year, $97,000,000 extension when that time comes.

The lack of a contract to this point is slightly concerning, if only because of the Bengals' history of stinginess. A potential departure from Cincinnati presents dynasty managers with a dilemma: Higgins's ties to Burrow boost his value, but there's a situation where he's the clear No. 1 option, earning a more significant target share and a more prominent role for fantasy. Still, managers shouldn't worry, as the franchise tag could extend Higgins' time in Cincinnati without needing a massive contract. The core of Burrow, Chase, and Higgins is what teams should look to build around, and the odds that all three remain in Cincinnati still seem very high heading into the 2023 season. That could change, and managers should monitor reports on Higgins' contract extensions closely.