Sometimes, the right move is the toughest to make. The Cincinnati Bengals should get comfortable with that idea.
The Bengals, who are 4–8 and in third place of the AFC North, can’t repeat how they’ve operated the past several months. They’ve had trade requests from receiver Tee Higgins and edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. Cincinnati also dealt with a high-profile, summer-long holdout from wideout Ja’Marr Chase, which ended with Chase still wanting an extension.
Once the season began, things only went downhill. Joe Burrow has MVP numbers (3,337 yards, 30 TDs) and Chase is the league’s most productive receiver with NFL highs in receiving yards (1,142) and touchdowns (13).
Still, Cincinnati needs a miracle to reach the postseason with a defense entering Week 14 ranked tied for 29th in sacks, 27th against the pass, 22nd against the run, 28th on third down and 30th in the red zone.
All those factors explain why the Bengals should trade Chase this offseason.
Of the half-dozen front-office personnel and general managers I’ve spoken with around the league, almost all believe Cincinnati would either get a deal equivalent to or likely exceeding what the Kansas City Chiefs got when they traded Tyreek Hill in March 2022.
“I would think so,” says a prominent NFC talent evaluator. “He’s a better overall player and I would guess less baggage and younger at the time of the trade.”
At the time Hill was traded, he was 28 years old and had one year remaining on a three-year, $60 million deal. Kansas City was wary of paying Hill in an exploding market touched off by the Davante Adams trade, and sent him to the Miami Dolphins for first-, second-, and fourth-round picks in 2022, and fourth- and sixth-rounders in ’23.
“Speed, explosion, ball skills and versatility," says another front-office personnel man when asked why Chase would command at least the same level of return. “Both are studs.”
In Cincinnati’s case, Chase is only 24 years old. He has one year left on his rookie contract, and doesn’t have the significant off-field issues Hill dragged into the NFL after pleading guilty to punching and choking his pregnant girlfriend while at Oklahoma State.
Ultimately, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has used the Hill trade to rebuild an aging and declining defense, shore up the offensive line, and add skill-position talent after saving approximately $75 million in cap space—Hill’s projected guaranteed number in Kansas City. The moves by Veach since sending the dynamic receiver to Miami:
- He signed receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster, Justin Watson and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency, drafted Skyy Moore and traded months later for Kadarius Toney.
- He used the draft capital to trade up multiple times, including selecting All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie in the first round and star receiver Rashee Rice in the second round.
- He brought veteran defensive talents over the past two seasons, including safety Justin Reid, linebacker Drue Tranquill, defensive end Charles Omenihu and others to help rebuild a failing unit.
- He signed All-Pro center Creed Humphrey and defensive tackle Chris Jones to market-setting contracts. With Hill’s bloated number on the books, one or both deals might not have been possible.
In the immediate aftermath of trading Hill, quarterback Patrick Mahomes thrived during the 2022 season. He threw for a career-high 5,250 yards on his way to another MVP season, while Kansas City went 14–3 and earned the AFC’s top seed. In the playoffs, Mahomes and the Chiefs won their second Super Bowl in four seasons, before repeating the feat in ’23 to secure themselves as a team for the ages.
It’s been a struggle at times this year offensively, but the Chiefs are 11–1 going into Week 14.
For the Bengals, this could be the smart path to follow, although not everyone is in complete agreement.
“I struggle with trading real good players,” says one former longtime general manager. “How about we keep [Chase], pay him so his cap numbers don’t strangle us and still fix the defense?”
That said, Cincinnati has never been keen on giving out huge guaranteed money, save for Burrow’s contract. If the Bengals decide to pay market value for Chase this offseason, owner Mike Brown is likely looking at somewhere near four years, $150 million and north of $100 million guaranteed. Chase’s agent, Caitlin Aoki, will be working off the recent deals of both CeeDee Lamb and former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson. In Dallas, Lamb signed a four-year, $136 million contract including a record $38 million signing bonus. Meanwhile, Jefferson landed a four-year deal worth $140 million, with $110 million guaranteed in Minnesota.
For any team, it’s tough to pay quarterback money for a receiver. For Cincinnati, it’s borderline unfathomable.
By moving off Chase, the Bengals could acquire enough future cap space and draft picks to transform a roster riddled with issues. Cincinnati would undoubtedly spark a bidding war by putting Chase on the block, driving up what many in league circles say would already be a historic price.
Looking around the NFL, there are a few teams I believe make the most sense. The New England Patriots and Washington Commanders are both intriguing, as each has extra draft picks, ample cap space and a rookie quarterback who needs more skill-position talent to reach his full potential.
For both, here’s what a potential trade could look like:
To New England
- Cincinnati receives: 2025 second- and two third-round picks; ’26 first- and fourth-round picks
- New England receives: Chase
To Washington
- Cincinnati receives: 2025 first-, second- and fifth-round picks; ’26 first- and third-round picks
- Washington receives: Chase
In both deals, the Bengals would add a minimum of four top-100 selections over the next two drafts.
Furthermore, Cincinnati would also have the ammunition to either sign Higgins to a lucrative, but lesser, extension, or allow Higgins to walk before breaking past tendencies and spending meaningful money in free agency.
Looking ahead to this offseason’s available targets, Bengals general manager Duke Tobin could recreate what Kansas City did for Mahomes in 2022 by retaining Higgins to play the role of Travis Kelce, before signing second-tier weapons such as Darius Slayton, Greg Dortch and even an older player coming off injury such as Stefon Diggs.
At the same time, the Bengals could shore up their defense with a youth movement, buttressed by quality veterans, including names such as defensive ends Dante Fowler Jr. and Chase Young, corners D.J. Reed and Rasul Douglas, and safeties Justin Reid and Justin Simmons.
Ultimately, the idea would be to let Burrow elevate a lesser receiving corps while the rest of the team, the portion Burrow can’t elevate with his skills, improves dramatically while much of it plays on cheap, rookie contracts.
If the Bengals let Higgins leave in free agency but sign Chase to a record-setting deal, the move will be lauded but also fraught with peril considering the rest of the roster, specifically the defense.
By trading Chase, Tobin could fortify an entire unit, making Burrow’s job infinitely easier. And by extension, the trade would help Cincinnati’s offensive line, which wouldn’t be in the mode of obvious passing down from a snap-to-snap basis late in games.
If the Bengals trade Chase, they’ll be ridiculed as cheap. They’ll be called lost. They’ll be ripped from coast to coast.
But they’ll also have made the toughest move imaginable. And if they nail their draft picks, they’ll also be right.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bengals Should Trade Ja’Marr Chase to Reopen Their Super Bowl Window.
