I cannot emphasize enough the salary cap struggles that the Cincinnati Bengals will be facing over the next five seasons.
On a positive note, Cincinnati found arguably the best player in the NFL when they selected Joe Burrow with the first overall pick in 2019.
Unfortunately, his new five year contract totaling $275 million will put the team in a major hole that they will lead to a struggle to retain talent.
Last year was just the first taste when the team let their superstar free safety Jessie Bates III leave for Atlanta on a four year deal worth $64 million.
Unfortunately, Cincinnati may be hemorrhaging talent this offseason to try to keep a disciplined approach to the salary cap.
I cannot emphasize enough the salary cap struggles that the Cincinnati Bengals will be facing over the next five seasons.
On a positive note, Cincinnati found arguably the best player in the NFL when they selected Joe Burrow with the first overall pick in 2019.
Unfortunately, his new five year contract totaling $275 million will put the team in a major hole that they will lead to a struggle to retain talent.
Last year was just the first taste when the team let their superstar free safety Jessie Bates III leave for Atlanta on a four year deal worth $64 million.
Unfortunately, Cincinnati may be hemorrhaging talent this offseason to try to keep a disciplined approach to the salary cap.
Bengals Wide Receiver Laments the Decline of His Position Group in 2024
On top of Burrow’s monster contract, another major blow to the salary cap is the impending extension for three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
Chase will likely be signing a four year contract totaling in the area of $120-130 million to stay in Cincinnati and the team will need to find the money in their budget for him.
Unfortunately, that means the other two members of Cincinnati’s elite wide receiver trio will likely be hitting the free agent market this offseason.
Both Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd should be expending contracts averaging $25 million and $18 million per season respectively and there is simply no way that Cincinnati could make that happen. If the team did try to swing it, just those four players would account for well over half of the total salary cap for the next five seasons and the quality and depth on the rest of the roster would plummet
Chase recently accepted the fact that his two elite teammates would likely be hitting the road after next week.
“They know I want them. They know what I want. End of the day, it’s what they want. I won’t hold anybody back from what they want.
Let them be the greatest they can be. I support everything they do,” Ja’Marr Chase said about the guys who are about to hit NFL Free Agency.
The upsetting reality is that both Higgins and Boyd will both be leaving Cincinnati this offseason and Chase will be far more responsible for keeping Cincinnati’s passing game above water.
Cincinnati essentially announced the decision in the NFL Draft when they drafted replacement players Andrei Iosivas and Charlie Jones in the later rounds of the Draft.
While obviously not being as prestigious as Cincinnati’s current receiving corps, Invoices and Jones have similar skill sets to Higgins and Boyd.
Chase would go on to express how his relationships with his teammates has affected him.
“Lot of memories. A lot of laughs. Just a lot of bonding going on with those guys.
Something I can’t explain, that’s how much fun we always have.”
We don’t know if Arthur Smith will be the head coach of the Falcons next season, but we do know that Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Ridder won’t be starting at quarterback.
Heinicke and Ridder have consistently held the offense back with their turnovers. This has been the case for the veteran for his entire career; he’s a gunslinger, so it shouldn’t be all too surprising, but the 2022 third-round pick has shown no signs of improvement over the course of a full season.
The Falcons have yet to invest significant assets in the quarterback position, and Smith may lose his job because of it.
A couple of backup-caliber free-agent contracts and a third-round pick is chump change considering what most franchise quarterbacks cost.
There are a few different avenues Terry Fontenot can take this offseason.
Most Falcons fans prefer drafting a quarterback.
Three prospects will surely require the club to trade up the draft — Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.
The latter two are probably locks to be two of the three first picks, and the reigning Heisman might sneak into the top five.
The Falcons have plenty of draft capital to make a move for one of them, though.
They could also use that arsenal of picks to trade for a guy like Justin Fields, but that is a much trickier route to take.
Fields’ fifth-year option will need to be exercised this offseason, which is a difficult decision when he’s never played a down in Atlanta.
The Falcons would then have to sign him to a new deal, forgoing the most valuable thing in this sport — a rookie quarterback contract.
Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield and Ryan Tannehill headline an underwhelming free-agent class.
It might not be what Falcons fans want, but if Arthur Smith is coaching for his job in 2024, putting his eggs in a rookie’s or Justin Field’s basket seems risky.
A veteran like Kirk Cousins could step in and immediately take this team to the postseason.
If you ask Falcons great Roddy White, he prefers the hometown hero — Justin Fields.
On paper, the fit makes sense, but the complexity of his contract situation cannot be overlooked.
Moreover, Fields will have no shortage of suitors if the Bears do shop him.
The Falcons will have to potentially part ways with one or two second-round picks for what could potentially be a one-year rental if he doesn’t show enough in 2024.
There is a risk with acquiring Fields, but that’s the case with any of these scenarios.
