'Absolutely' - Hall of Famer Michael Irvin Affirms Bengals Still Super Bowl Contenders As 2025 Offseason Rolls On

Cincinnati signed the stars last week.

Feb 2, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; AFC wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals (1) carries the ball against NFC strong safety Budda Baker of the Arizona Cardinals (3)during the 2025 Pro Bowl Games at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin appeared on Up & Adams this week with high praise for the Bengals. He still thinks the team is a Super Bowl contender after signing Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to new deals.

He's not as worried about the largely stagnant moves with the defense and offensive line so far this free-agency cycle.

"Absolutely," Irvin said on the show about the Bengals still being contenders. "They got to the Super Bowl with the worst offensive line to ever make it to the Super Bowl because they had those players. So they're shaking it up in more ways than one. They shook it up when they got there with the worst offensive line."

Cincinnati made it to that Super Bowl against the Rams in February 2022 but lost it in the final moments because the defense broke down in crunch time and Joe Burrow didn't have enough time to hit Chase on a deep ball to close the game.

Sure, having great receivers helps mitigate bad offensive line play and rough defenses, but it's the ultimate team game for a reason. You need to have a passable baseline to operate at the highest levels of the sport and Cincinnati has not proven able to field that in the past two seasons.

Check out Irvin's full comments on the Bengals below:

Michael Irvin is IN on the @Bengals !!!

Super Bowl ??!!@michaelirvin88 @UpAndAdamsShow pic.twitter.com/7aW3zpIDQR

— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) March 24, 2025

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