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In March, the Bengals made Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase the most expensive wide receiver duo in NFL history, giving the pair new contracts worth a combined $300 million.
They won’t have star quarterback Joe Burrow throwing to them anytime soon.
Burrow will need toe surgery and is expected to miss three months, ESPN reported Monday. He injured the toe early in Sunday’s 31–27 win against the Jaguars.
Backup quarterback Jake Browning led the Bengals to the win after Burrow went down and is expected to fill in; a three-month injury would mean that Burrow could only return near the end of the regular season in December.
Since drafting Burrow No. 1 overall in 2020, the Bengals are 6–8 in games without him as their starter.
Burrow had a statistical career year in 2024 but the Bengals struggled to a 9–8 record. Now they’re facing another season of uncertainty.
The $93.5 Million Trio
Should he miss the rest of the regular season, it will mark the third year in Burrow’s career that he finished the season injured after tearing his ACL in 2020 and suffering a wrist injury in 2023.
Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension with the Bengals in September 2023. He will carry a cap hit of $46 million this season, according to Spotrac. His contract has $107.75 million guaranteed for injury through 2027.
Higgins will carry a hit of $24 million this year while Chase’s is slightly less at $23.5 million.
In 2024, Burrow led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns. He and the receivers will cost the Bengals $93.5 million this season and while the team is off to a 2–0 start, Browning will need to outperform expectations to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Browning has been Burrow’s backup since 2021 and went 4–3 as a starter in 2023 after Burrow’s season ended with the wrist injury. After entering for Burrow on Sunday, he threw a touchdown to Higgins and ran one in himself with 18 seconds left in the game to secure the come-from-behind win.
Trey Hendrickson Drama
The Bengals star defensive end dominated the team’s offseason headlines after holding out in training camp and requesting a trade a year after he led the NFL in sacks.
Hendrickson signed a one-year deal worth $30 million before the regular season started, which gave him a $14 million raise from 2024. That’s still well below-market for a premium pass rusher in the NFL, and the team could still use the exclusive franchise tag on Hendrickson next year.
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