"Joe Burrow is different" - Bengals legend explains magnitude of change in franchise's operations after $270,000,000 deal with WRs

Earlier this week, the Cincinnati Bengals handed out massive contract extensions to wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to tie their long-term futures to the franchise.

Chase signed a record-shattering four-year, $161 million deal and became the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Higgins penned a four-year, $115 million contract, finally getting the lucrative extension he had been craving since the 2024 offseason.

It was an unprecedented move for the Bengals, who have historically passed on opportunities to hand their stars huge contract extensions. They were seemingly heading in the same direction this offseason after defensive end Trey Hendrickson revealed that the franchise had permitted him to seek a trade.

However, after handing out new deals to Chase and Higgins, the team's X account poked fun at fans and analysts, who confidently proclaimed the franchise would let at least one of the two wide receivers walk. Their post did sit well with ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio, who was featured in that clip. He responded:

"They broke character because they were concerned Joe Burrow was going to pull a Carson Palmer. This wasn’t the Bengals changing; this was Joe Burrow forcing them to change."

However, Bengals icon Andrew Whitworth came to the franchise's defense and claimed that Joe Burrow changing the culture should be viewed as a positive. He wrote:

"Is there not a point in time in history every sports franchise experiences change or growth in an area? There was always a specific owner, coach, or player that made an impact and caused that change! Burrow is different."

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Joe Burrow's message to teams after Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins' extension

Few people were as ecstatic as Joe Burrow about Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins' contract extension. He publicly demanded the team hand them new deals, and once it adhered to his wishes, he reiterated that the Bengals made the right call.

In a press conference, he said:

"We're paying the right guys. Guys who work really hard for what they have. Guys who aren't going to get complacent or anything like that. Guys who really care about the product they put on the field, and care about the fans and the organization and the people in the locker room. We've got the right guys."

While his campaigning convinced Cincinnati to hand out the contract extensions, the trio is now under pressure to lead the franchise to a deep run in the playoffs and prove that their expensive deals aren't detrimental to the team's ability to compete.