The Cincinnati Bengals, who narrowly lost in the Super Bowl just a few years ago, are coming off back-to-back seasons in which they went 9-8 and missed the NFL playoffs. But they have sorted out some of their issues and can now look ahead to the 2025 season with some confidence and hope.
Star defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who led the league in sacks last year, had been embroiled in a nasty standoff with the team regarding a contract extension. He had asked to be traded during the offseason and seemed to have one foot out the door, but on Monday, the team increased his salary for 2025 from $16 million to $30 million. He will remain put, at least for now, as he will still become a free agent next spring.
On the other side of the football, the Bengals have one of the better wide receiver duos in football with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins catching passes from star quarterback Joe Burrow. Higgins had a simple response when asked what it’s like to be part of such a potent offensive unit.
“It’s special,” Higgins said.
"It's special." @Bengals WR Tee Higgins on the trio of himself with QB Joe Burrow and WR Ja'Marr Chase in Cincinnati.
📻 https://t.co/qVgeUVujVv#Bengals | #WhoDey pic.twitter.com/LZpVd7D8M7
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) August 25, 2025
Chase and Higgins were also in danger of leaving Cincinnati months ago when they asked for extensions of their own. In March, Chase got a four-year, $161 million extension, and Higgins signed for three years and $115 million. Burrow agreed to a five-year, $275 million extension in September 2023, and at the time, it was the richest contract in NFL history in terms of annual value.
Chase led the league in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns last season, while Higgins put up 73 catches, 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in just 12 games. On many other teams, Higgins would be the No. 1 option in the passing game, but playing alongside Chase as a WR2 has made life a lot easier for him.
The Bengals are poised to be one of the NFL’s most potent offensive teams once again if they stay healthy. They were sixth in points last season, and Burrow led everyone with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdown passes.
But defense is a definite concern, even with Hendrickson in the fold for one more year. They were 25th in points and total yards allowed, 29th in passing touchdowns allowed and 30th in first downs given up in 2024, and their red zone defense was atrocious.
At the very least, Cincinnati should be competitive and fun to watch, even if 2025 ends up being yet another disappointing season for it.
