"Worst front office in NFL history" - Bengals fans rip franchise as contract market gets reset with pending Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase deals

The NFL's free agency frenzy doesn't officially begin until Monday, but teams across the league kicked off their spending spree a day early. Several stars landed massive paydays, but the biggest winners were Myles Garrett, Davante Adams and DK Metcalf.

Garrett, who was rumored to be considering a move away from the Cleveland Browns, signed a $123.5 million extension, earning $40 million per year, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Adams, the former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver, signed a two-year, $46 million deal with the LA Rams.

Meanwhile, Metcalf was traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who immediately rewarded him with a five-year, $150 million extension.

One fan pointed out how these massive contracts have reset the market, creating a major problem for the Cincinnati Bengals, who have yet to finalize new deals for pass rusher Trey Hendrickson and wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase. Higgins has been franchise-tagged, while Chase, a former triple crown winner, is still awaiting an extension.

"Worst front office in NFL history," the fan said.

The three had exceptional 2024 seasons and will now likely increase their contract demands, seeking deals comparable to those handed out on Sunday. Other fans expressed frustration over the team’s lack of urgency in locking up their stars before the market reset, fearing they missed the chance to retain them on relatively affordable contracts.

Some Bengals fans believe that if Cincinnati fails to secure long-term deals for its stars, quarterback Joe Burrow may eventually demand a trade:

"I never really was scared of Burrow leaving the last few seasons. Even when people mentioned it, I took it as a joke. Yeah, I’m starting to get scared," one fan wrote.

"I would rather see Burrow leave and be done with this miserable franchise than see him waste his career with an ownership group that refuses to support him," another commented.

"Zero urgency, CHEAP franchise. You NOTHING today. Burrow is gonna leave you here soon!" another added.

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Joe Burrow wanted the Bengals to re-sign star trio

During an appearance on the NFL Network in the lead-up to Super Bowl 59, Joe Burrow urged the Bengals to secure contract extensions for Hendrickson, Higgins and Chase. He expressed confidence that the team would handle negotiations properly and reward them for their standout performances in 2024:

"We've had those preliminary discussions. It's really early in the offseason, so those guys and their agents will start to have those discussions coming up. But we're confident that we're going to be able to do what it takes. We all want to stay together, so we want to make it work."

However, more than a month later, none of the three players have new deals. The Bengals franchise-tagged Higgins for the second straight season, preventing him from testing free agency, and haven't finalized an extension for Chase. Meanwhile, Hendrickson has been granted permission to seek a trade.