Pressure grows on Joe Burrow as Bengals meet QB's demands

This means the Bengals, a franchise known for penny-pinching, pulled the trigger on doing exactly what the face of their franchise asked for at the start of the offseason. 

Burrow, 28, doesn't want to leave Cincinnati, but he also wants to win above all else. He doesn't want to endure another disappointing season like 2024, a year he posted monster numbers — he threw for 4,918 yards and threw 43 touchdowns — but was forced to watch the playoff at home. 

"I'm confident that I think we're gonna be able to do what it takes to bring Tee back," Burrow said in early December when asked about the Bengals being able to sign Higgins with Chase as the top priority. "I know that I'm gonna do what it takes to get him back, and so is he. We've had those talks."

Burrow even alluded to his willingness to restructure his contract. 

"We have the cap space to get it done," Burrow said. "I want to make it happen."

And Cincinnati made it happen. 

Obviously, losing Higgins would've likely resulted in Chase seeing double coverage every game. Both Chase and Higgins complement each other very well, with Chase being more prone to big plays down the field and Higgins being a reliable option to move the chains. 

Cincinnati keeping Burrow's band together also adds pressure on the two-time Pro Bowler. The Bengals didn't miss the playoffs because of the offense. Their main issue was on the defensive side of the ball. And by spending so much on two receivers, it brings into question how much is left for their true positions of need on defense. 

However, fair or not, it's Burrow who will be judged the most harshly by Cincinnati's win-loss record. 

Guiding the Bengals to the Super Bowl in only his second season was big, and he does have injuries as excuses for lacking another postseason run to this point. But statistics without enough wins may make Cincinnati's first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft regret petitioning so hard for his offensive weapons when the team still has other issues.