Ever since the Cincinnati Bengals drafted quarterback Joe Burrow as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, NFL fans and media personalities have crowned the Bengals as the team of the future. The Bengals added wide receiver Tee Higgins in the second round of that same draft, and in the 2021 draft, the Bengals added Burrow's favorite LSU target, Ja'Marr Chase to the roster.
The Bengals made it to the Super Bowl in 2022 which began to fulfill the prophesies attached to the team, but it has been a disappointing ride ever since. Burrow's injuries have contributed to the Bengals' inability to make another Super Bowl run.
The team is on borrowed time to win while this threesome is still on the roster. Higgins has one foot out of the door. He signed his franchise tag for 2024 but has no contract extension in the works. Higgins' pending free agency at the end of the upcoming season is already a hot-button discussion item with NFL analysts trying to predict where he may end up. Ja'Marr Chase is entering his fourth season; the Bengals picked up his fifth-year option for 2025, but he will be looking for an extension, i.e., a hefty payday next offseason.
The Bengals must win this year; otherwise, it will be considered a wasted opportunity with a talented trio of young offensive players on the roster for the past four to five years.