The Bengals have made the playoffs eight times during their first 36 seasons, although they have also appeared in the Super Bowl twice. Since 2005, the Bengals have experienced their most prosperous era, making the playoffs eight times since 2005 and narrowly losing a Super Bowl to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. A constant during those years, since 2005, has been the Bengals’ understanding that they are a small-market team and need to make sound business decisions when it comes to managing their personnel. The awareness that the Cincinnati Bengals have the lowest franchise value in the NFL can help explain why they strive so hard to avoid the poor personnel decisions that defined their first 36 years as an NFL franchise. Today, we will examine 10 situations that have defined Bengal’s approach to business since the 2005 season.
DE Shemar Stewart
The Bengals currently find themselves involved in two awkward contract negotiation situations. One of those situations involves their 2025 first-round draft pick, Shemar Stewart. Cincinnati is presently offering Stewart a four-year contract for an estimated $18.9 million with a fifth-year option. What is holding up the contract negotiation is a clause that the Bengals have added, stating that if Stewart violates his contract, the Bengals can void that year of his contract. Previously, the Bengals had not utilized this type of clause, but other franchises in the NFL have. Stewart states that he does not want to agree to that clause because it sets a bad precedent for rookie contract negotiations. What Stewart is not taking into account is that other teams use this clause to safeguard their investment. As a small-market team, the Bengals aim to employ a range of safeguards to secure their financial future.
DE Trey Hendrickson
In another current contract negotiation, from an outside perspective, the Bengals are poorly managing that with defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson is still under contract with the Bengals, with one year remaining on his current deal. In Hendrickson’s opinion, he has earned a salary commensurate with the top pass rushers in the NFL after posting 17.5 sacks in the last two seasons. Additionally, Hendrickson seeks a four-year contract to ensure his long-term job security. From a business perspective, Hendrickson is 30 years old and is a late bloomer as a pass rusher. Rather than gamble on a defensive end who could be slowly passing his prime, they can have him play out the contract and then use the franchise tag on him, extending his time in Cincinnati one year at a time to avoid risk. Hendrickson requested a trade in the spring, but no official trade offers have surfaced.
WR Ja’Marr Chase
Last season, the Bengals found themselves in another standoff with one of their top playmakers when wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase stated that he wanted to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Once again, the Bengals were hesitant to make such a deal due to the risk involved, especially given Chase’s history of injuries in recent seasons. Cincinnati made an offer, but Chase disagreed with the structure and timing of the payout. Rather than sit out the season, Chase posted a career-high 127 receptions for 1.708 receiving yards and 17 touchdown receptions. During free agency, Chase’s elite play was rewarded with a four-year contract worth up to $161 million, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Additionally, $112 million of his contract was guaranteed, with $40.25 million in incentives built into it.
WR Tee Higgins
At the same time that Chase was looking for a long-term contract, wide receiver Tee Higgins was also looking for a long-term commitment from Cincinnati. Once again, Higgins’s recent history of having his season shortened due to injuries did not allow the Bengals to feel confident in offering him a long-term contract with guaranteed money. Similar to Chase, Higgins played during the season, and while he only played in 12 games, he nearly reached 1,000 receiving yards, and he achieved his career-high number of touchdown receptions in a season with 10 touchdowns. Initially, the Bengals were going to avoid a long-term commitment with Higgins and use the franchise tag on him. The situation took a different turn, though, when the Bengals offered Higgins a four-year deal worth $115 million, with the first two seasons guaranteed, at the same time they provided Chase his deal. Higgins accepted the contract offer.
QB Joe Burrow
Another high-profile dispute between the Bengals and a star player occurred in 2023 when quarterback Joe Burrow stated that he wanted to be the highest-paid player in the NFL. The Bengals did not wish to offer Burrow such a large contract because they knew it would lead to salary cap issues when it was time to re-sign Chase, Higgins, and Hendrickson. Cincinnati’s front office also understood that losing Burrow would be a devastating blow to their fan base and franchise. Three days before the Bengals played their first game of the 2023 season, Burrow accepted a five-year contract offer for $275 million with $219.01 million guaranteed. Recently, Burrow stated that he was willing to restructure his contract to free up salary cap space for the other star players on the Bengals roster.
QB Carson Palmer
Before the Bengals’ current run of awkward contract negotiations, Cincinnati dealt with a complicated issue involving quarterback Carson Palmer in 2010. When Palmer signed his first contract with the Bengals, it contained a “Loyalty Clause” that stated that if Palmer publicly criticized the Bengals organization, they would be able to void his contract. After the 2010 season, Palmer demanded that the Bengals trade him, citing his opinion that Cincinnati was not committed to building a winning team. Palmer stated that if the Bengals did not trade him, he would rather retire than play another season with the Bengals. Cincinnati eventually gave Palmer what he requested and sent him to the Oakland Raiders in a trade that was viewed negatively by Raiders fans, who felt it was overpaying for a veteran quarterback.
WR TJ Houshmandzadeh
In 2009, Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh was seeking a better contract from the Cincinnati front office. The Bengals made a contract offer, but it fell short of Houshmandzadeh’s expectations, leading him to seek a fresh start with another franchise. The Seattle Seahawks eventually signed Houshmandzadeh to a five-year contract worth $40 million with $15 million guaranteed, JeCincinnati’s decision to let Houshmandzadeh leave worked out in their favor. In 2009, Houshmandzadeh lived up to expectations, but in 2010, his level of production fell off dramatically, and his career ended after the 2011 season.
Safety Jessie Bates III
Another contract situation for the Bengals arose with safety Jessie Bates III after the 2020 season, following Bates’ third consecutive 100-tackle season. Heading into the 2021 season, Bates stated that he deserved a pay raise due to his outstanding production for the Bengals’ defense. In 2022, the Bengals indicated that they did not believe paying Bates the contract he wanted would be the best decision for the franchise’s future and their salary cap situation; therefore, they placed the franchise tag on Bates. In 2023, Bates accepted a four-year contract from the Atlanta Falcons worth $64.02 million.
OT Andrew Whitworth
In 2014, the Cincinnati Bengals and offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth engaged in contract negotiations. The 35-year-old offensive tackle wanted the Bengals to sign him to a long-term contract, which the Bengals did not want to do due to Whitworth’s age. Cincinnati did make an offer for 1 year for $10 million, but the contract offer did not provide the long-term security that Whitworth was looking for from the Bengals. The Los Angeles Rams ultimately provided Whitworth with a multi-year contract that met the offensive tackle’s financial expectations. Whitworth eventually won a Super Bowl with the Rams in 2021 when Los Angeles defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the championship game.
OT Andre Smith
The Bengals also had a tense contract dispute with offensive tackle Andre Smith, a first-round draft pick, in 2009. Negotiations were more complicated than in the current rookie pay scale model because it was an open negotiation without any restrictions that currently exist. Smith’s primary conflict involved a “Weight Clause” that the Bengals included in his offer. The clause established standards for weight and health that Smith needed to meet to avoid being penalized. After a 30-day holdout by Smith, the first-round pick agreed to sign the four-year contract for $21 million. Additionally, the contract had a six-year option that the Bengals could take, which would pay Smith $42 million. In 2013, Smith received limited interest as a free agent and chose to stay with the Bengals, signing a three-year contract worth $18 million.
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