Report: Bengals aim for long-term deals with Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Trey Hendrickson

The Bengals have heard Joe Burrow's message. Loud and clear.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports that the Bengals will attempt to sign three key players to long-term deals: receiver Ja'Marr Chase, receiver Tee Higgins, and defensive end Trey Hendrickson.

Trying and doing are two different things, of course. Last year, they tried to sign Chase. And while the dollars made sense, the structure did not.

So the real question is whether the last, best offers made by the team to any, some, or all of them will be good enough.

For Chase, it's likely going to take at least $40 million per year in new-money average. With a structure that includes sufficient guarantees and cash flow. It won't be easy. It would have been easier last year, before Chase led the league in catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns during the 2024 season.

For Higgins, on whom the Bengals reportedly "likely" usethe tag absent a multi-year contract, the starting point for any negotiation will be the value of his tag. He can play under the tag, make $26.8 million, and hit the market next March. The Bengals will have to offer him a multi-year deal that will cause him to trade in the tag.

If, for example, the contract offer contains no full guarantees (or practical guarantees) beyond year one, why would he take it? The first-year payout would have to be a lot more than $26.8 million to get him to take a deal that carries only one year of true guarantees.

For Hendrickson, his $16 million compensation package is currently less than half of the market-leading price for his position. They'll need to get a lot closer to Nick Bosa's $34 million annual new-money average for the guy who had 17.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons.

Until the deals are done, the team's goal might be simply to make Burrow think they're trying. Because if he thinks they aren't, he potentially inches closer to the Carson Palmer DEFCON 1.