Will Bengals be able to sign Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins after Joe Burrow deal?
The Cincinnati Bengals made quarterback Joe Burrow the NFL's highest-paid player Thursday night with a reported five-year, $275 million contract extension, with $219.01 million guaranteed.
NFL teams operate under a firm salary cap, which limits how much money can be spent on players. This year's salary cap is $224.8 million, with the Bengals currently having around $12.8 million in cap space.
The Bengals have had the luxury of building the roster and earning postseason success while Burrow's been on a rookie deal. Here's what the record-setting contract extension means for the Bengals salary cap.
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When Joe Burrow's new salary takes effect
While the specific annual breakdown of Burrow's new contract is unknown, the best speculation comes from Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert's five-year, $262.5 million contract extension from July. According to Spotrac, the biggest chunk of the salary cap won't come into effect until 2027, when Herbert has a cap hit of $58.3 million, which is $12 million more than his 2026 cap hit.
Over The Cap lists the Bengals' salary cap at $180.3 million in 2025 and $262.7 million in 2026.
It's a similar story for several quarterbacks around the league with big deals. Denver Broncos signal-caller Russell Wilson's five-year, $242.5 million contract extension from last September hits its highest cap hit ($58.4 million) in 2026. Deshaun Watson inked a fully guaranteed $230 million contract from the Cleveland Browns. His cap hit is just over $19 million this year before jumping to $63.9 million from 2024-2026.
Because the Bengals picked up Burrow's fifth-year option in April, his cap hit is set in stone for the next two seasons.
Will Bengals be able to sign Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins?
Now, the biggest question is if Burrow's contract will allow the Bengals to retain star receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Bengals were able to keep linebackers Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson this offseason with extensions, but now will have to take Burrow's contract into account for future deals.
Higgins, entering his fourth year, is still eligible for a contract extension and is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2023 season. Higgins doesn't have a fifth-year option since he was the first pick of the second round. Chase will be eligible for a contract extension after this season. Could the Bengals extend Chase next summer and keep Higgins on the franchise tag, which is a hefty $19.7 million for a wide receiver?
Other dominoes need to fall around the league at the position. Tyreek Hill is the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver when he left Kansas City for the Miami Dolphins on a four-year deal worth $120 million. The wide receiver market could reset soon, though, if Minnesota's Justin Jefferson, the reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year, becomes the highest paid at the position in the next few days.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How Joe Burrow's contract impacts the Cincinnati Bengals salary cap.
