"I'm significantly worried about Joe Burrow" - Ex-Jets GM raises eyebrows for Bengals with cheapskate moves in offseason
Several Cincinnati Bengals stars are seeking contract extensions this offseason, but the franchise has not handed out any deals. The only significant move they have made is franchise-tagging wide receiver Tee Higgins for the second straight year, much to his teammate Ja'Marr Chase's frustration, who's also seeking a new contract.
Former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum voiced concern about the Bengals' refusal to pay their stars and warned the franchise that it is risking making quarterback Joe Burrow feel disillusioned about his future with the team.
"If I'm Cincinnati, I'm significantly worried about Joe Burrow," Tannenbaum said on Saturday (0:46), via ESPN's 'Get Up.' "He sat down with ESPN and Laura Rutledge at the Super Bowl and he talked in great detail about what players should get paid, cap numbers and cash flow, and (now) you’re tagging Tee Higgins for the second consecutive year.
"Those guys (should) never, ever leave your building, ever. Tee Higgins needs to get paid, and if I’m Cincinnati, I’m worried about is Joe Burrow all-in here?”
Bengals to allow Trey Hendrickson to leave despite Joe Burrow's public backing
While the Cincinnati Bengals continue to remain in contract talks with Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase, they have given up on retaining Trey Hendrickson. The franchise has granted the defensive end, who led the league in sacks last year, permission to talk to other teams after informing him it plans to trade him.
Cincinnati's decision is a direct contradiction of what Joe Burrow claimed about Hendrickson's future. In an interview with Sirius XM Radio in February, the QB was confident that the team would hand the defensive end, as well as Higgins and Chase, new deals this offseason.
“We can make it happen," Burrow said, via Cincinnati.com. "And it just has to be right for everybody involved. I know the players want to make it work. We all want to be together. So I don’t see it not working out, but we’ll see.”
Hendrickson will likely get traded in the coming weeks. Burrow had faith that the Bengals would do their best players right and reward them for their contributions. However, they haven't repaid his faith, which could prompt him to question whether he can fulfill his goal of winning the Super Bowl with the franchise.