Bengals owner Mike Brown’s non-answer about extensions for their big 3 made it seem a breakup is inevitable

"We may have to go short in a couple of cases."

The Cincinnati Bengals better take advantage of a golden contending opportunity in 2024 because it doesn’t seem like their current core has much longer together.

As the organization keeps its negotiations at a hush for a monster contract extension with franchise quarterback Joe Burrow, an overarching question needs an answer. When — yes, when — Burrow gets the money he’s earned as the face of the Bengals, are they still going to be able to keep Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins together?

It’s a fair point considering both playmakers present eminent matchup problems as the NFL’s best wide receiver duo. If you’re a defensive coordinator and dedicate more attention to a home-run threat like Chase, that probably means Higgins will get a juicy one-on-one matchup and vice versa. And as exceptional as Burrow is, Cincinnati’s ascent into a bona fide heavyweight never happens if they don’t have two WR1s.

Unfortunately, based on an interview with Joe Danneman of FOX19 in Cincinnati, Bengals owner Mike Brown doesn’t seem too keen on keeping this trio together for the long term.

Brown didn’t really answer a question about keeping Burrow and Chase and Higgins. That in itself is a statement:

Mike Brown deflected Joe Burrow contract questions saying both sides promised to keep it private.

But this is an interesting two minutes. It's Mike Brown on the financial challenge of keeping Cincinnati's big three: Burrow, Chase, Higgins. pic.twitter.com/pGEAlPPL63

— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) July 24, 2023

Don’t worry, Bengals fans. Joe “Cool” isn’t going anywhere.

If the team owner says he’s the “heart of the matter,” you’ll watch No. 9 orange launch dimes downfield for the foreseeable future. But, also, if the team owner doesn’t mention Chase or Higgins by name, stating they’ll have to “go short,” — well, I’d start preparing for life without Higgins. Because if it’s Mike Brown — who reportedly doesn’t take care of his players nearly as much as he could — where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Chase is the conversation for the sport’s top flanker on the outside. He’s over a year younger than his pal on the other side, too. While a great player, Higgins is probably more of a luxury to the Bengals if they choose between the pair. (Again, based on Brown’s precedent, they will likely choose between the pair.) At the very least, if Higgins leaves in a future trade, he should fetch quite a haul as a consolation. That doesn’t mean it’ll be easy to replace him, and it’s no guarantee the Bengals even try to trade Higgins — they could apply a franchise tag instead of letting him walk.

But you’re only delaying the inevitable at that point, and it doesn’t seem like Brown and Co. are considering the tag possibility.

Whatever sizable pressure Cincinnati already had on finally breaking through with a Super Bowl this year just got ratcheted up. Good things don’t last forever — especially when it comes to owners with cheap checkbooks in a hard salary cap league.