cincinnati-bengals – Third Down With Devin

The Cincinnati Bengals have faced a rollercoaster of an offseason, with many unique and ongoing contract situations that have been the center of attention. In March, the Bengals’ front office re-signed wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, an outcome that most NFL fans and analysts viewed as unlikely due to the wide receivers’ high market value, along with the tight salary cap restrictions the Bengals face. The contracts of Joe Burrow, Jamarr Chase, and Tee Higgins now take up 44% of the Bengals’ salary cap space in 2025, leaving them with very little room to improve the rest of the roster.

This has all led up to the drama the Bengals have faced surrounding their superstar edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson, who led the league in sacks last season with 17.5, still has a year left on his contract but wants an extension now. It has been somewhat unclear what exactly the Bengals have offered Hendrickson, but he is unhappy with it as he has been sitting out of mandatory minicamp. Although I want to side with the front office on this issue, it is very difficult considering Hendrickson’s claims that they had no communication with him for two months following the NFL Draft. Hendrickson has clearly expressed his anger and it seems as though he is willing to sit out as long as it takes. The Bengals need to make a decision as soon as possible whether they are willing to pay him the money he is asking for, and if not, they need to find a trade destination for him. To me, the Bengals must re-sign Hendrickson. Considering that the Bengals had a bottom-five defense last season which ultimately led to them missing the playoffs, Hendrickson was one of the few bright spots. Since the Bengals did practically nothing to improve the defense during free agency, I believe that it is very important that they retain Hendrickson if they want any chance to compete for a playoff spot.

It is no secret that the Bengals owner, Mike Brown, has been historically cheap when it comes to paying players, but it feels as though since entering the Joe Burrow era, that narrative has flipped. To me, it seems as though the Bengals are willing to spend the money but now just want to win the argument with Hendrickson, which has ultimately been a distraction to the team’s offseason.

Although the front office’s approach in handling the Hendrickson situation has been questionable, I completely side with them in their other heated negotiation that being rookie defensive end, Shemar Stewart. The Bengals drafted Stewart out of Texas A&M with their first-round draft pick this year in an effort to improve their defense. It has now been two months since drafting him and they are yet to agree to his rookie contract. For the most part, rookie contracts are fairly straightforward as the salary they receive is determined by the draft pick that they were selected with. The issue Stewart has with his contract has nothing to do with the money and rather has to do with the language in which the contract is stated. The Bengals have included a clause that essentially allows them to void future guaranteed money if Stweart were to break team rules or face trouble with the law. Stewart is arguing that the Bengals’ previous first-round draft picks, Myles Murphy and Amarius Mims, did not have this clause in their contract. The Bengals however, are trying to set a precedent for all future contracts to include this clause. Although the Bengals are getting heat from the media for once again being difficult in their contract negotiations, it is important that the Bengals stand their ground. The “void clause” is becoming more common in NFL contracts throughout the league, and top rookies in this year’s class, including Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter have signed the clause. Although some ridiculous situations have been thrown around where Stewart can re-enter the draft next year and join a different team, I believe he will sign eventually. If the Bengals give in and remove the clause, they will never be able to include it again as their future rookies could also sit out. Over time, Stewart will sign the contract as there is no chance he will pass up the money that comes with being a first-round draft pick.

The Bengals front office is facing a very difficult offseason, but if they can re-sign Hendrickson and stay patient with Shemar Stewart, they will have all their distractions behind them and they can lock in on making another Super Bowl run.

Entering week 18 of the NFL season, the AFC playoff race has heated up significantly as the Broncos, Bengals, and Dolphins, are all fighting for the final spot. Despite the drama, the Broncos look to have the easiest path as they will likely be playing the Chiefs backups in their playoff-clinching week 18 matchup. This would leave the Bengals out of the playoffs for the second straight year, despite the historic quarterbacking season Joe Burrow is having. On pace for 5000 passing yards, 45 passing touchdowns, and under 10 interceptions, Burrow is leading the league in every important quarterback statistic. Despite all this, Burrow is not the MVP favorite as he trails behind Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.

This is a very unprecedented situation as the Bengals have the best offense in the league. Yet, their historically bad season is costing them a playoff spot and Burrow an MVP. So far, the Bengals have six losses when scoring 25+ points which has never happened before. Given an average defense, the Bengals would be vying for the one seed in the AFC, instead, however, they are fighting to even qualify for the playoffs. Although there are many other reasons for their underachieving record such as starting the season slow, poor coaching, and injuries, the defense has taken the most significant blame.

Now on a four-game win streak with a rejuvenated defense, MVP talks for Burrow have been heating up. Historically, Drew Brees is the only quarterback in NFL history not to win MVP when passing for 45 or more touchdowns (and he only lost it because Aaron Rodgers passed for even more). Looking at the other two candidates Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, they are both also having historic seasons, however, they have help as both their team’s defenses are top ten in the league. Ultimately, if Burrow were given Buffalo or Baltimore defense, not only would they be the best team in the NFL, but he would also be a unanimous MVP.

If the NFL truly gives the MVP award to the league’s most valuable player, Burrow would be the perfect candidate. First off, the MVP is an individual award, not a team award. Additionally, the Bengals are proving that wins are not a quarterback exclusive statistic. If you replace Burrow with a league average quarterback, the Bengals would be lucky enough to win three games. If you apply the same conditions to Baltimore or Buffalo, both teams would remain as playoff contenders. Burrow is the definition of the Most Valuable Player.

Ultimately, Burrow is not only having the best quarterbacking season this year, he’s having one of the greatest individual seasons in the history of the NFL. If the Bengals pull off the most unlikely comeback and qualify for the playoffs, it would be a league failure to not give the MVP to Burrow.