Cincinnati Bengals Top Executives Await Justin Jefferson’s Huge 2024 Contract Before Negotiations Commence

Most fans were optimistic that the team would lock their 6’4″ target man to a long-term deal weeks ago but following the decision to franchise tag him, things have quickly gone downhill.  That started with Higgins requesting a trade on the first day of free agency and then a series of immature social media blunders by the star wideout that has made his future in Cincinnati look hairy at best.

Cincinnati Bengals Vice President Makes Shocking Declaration

On top of the Higgins contract, another concerning development has sprung into action with the wide receiver group.  This offseason was the first opportunity for the team to negotiate a contract extension with elite 2021 first-round selection Ja’Marr Chase.  Chase has exploded onto the scene as one of the top receivers in the entire NFL and one would think that the team would be chomping at the bit to get him locked down for the foreseeable future.

At least, one would think they would.  In reality, the Bengals have completely neglected any contract negotiations with the star LSU product and claim that it is for a strategic purpose.  Bengals Executive Vice President and Daughter of the Owner Katie Blackburn has come out and expressed that the team knows exactly what they’re doing even amid worries from the fans.

“We haven’t started,” Blackburn recently said of negotiations with Chase, via the Cincinnati Enquirer. “That’s sort of the next thing is just to piece together some of those things to consider and give it some thought. And like I said, I can’t say for sure where any of it will go. But we certainly are going to study up on it and see what we can figure out to try to get the best result we can for the club one way or another.”

The obvious speculation is that Blackburn wants to wait to see how much the contract will cost by waiting for the Minnesota Vikings to finalize an extension of their own.  Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is widely considered the best receiver in the NFL and is in the process of signing a record-breaking contract to stay in Minnesota for the rest of his career.

While it may seem like a good idea, this reactionary approach is actually a huge blunder being made by the ownership group in Cincinnati.  While both the team and Chase may be interested in a wait-and-see approach, the decision will clearly work in Chase’s favor.  After all, the historical precedent is that the second contract amongst competing trailblazers is almost always the superior contract.

That means that if (for example) the Vikings sign Jefferson to a contract worth $33 million per season, Chase would almost certainly sign a contract worth $33.5 million per season.  All of these players are competitive regarding their contracts and the second player will always be able to use the precedent to squeeze more money from the team.  That means by waiting for Jefferson to put pen to paper, the team is accepting that they will be paying that inflated second contract to Chase.

While this move fits the conservative approach of the Cincinnati ownership group to a tee, this decision will almost guaranteeably come back to hurt the team’s contract negotiations with both Chase and Higgins down the line.