Cincinnati Bengals' Urgency Should be at All-Time High With NFL's Negotiating Window Opening on Monday

The Bengals have plenty of question marks with free agency starting this week.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) and Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) celebrate Chase touchdown in the 3rd quarter over the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Week 7 game at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland October 20, 2024. The Bengals won 21-14.. | Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The clock is ticking and the Cincinnati Bengals have a lot of work to do.

The NFL's negotiating window opens on Monday at Noon ET. Cincinnati has plenty of questions to answer about their biggest stars.

Will they sign Tee Higgins or Ja'Marr Chase to contract extensions?

Higgins currently has a $26.179 million cap hit. Lowering that before free agency would be ideal if the Bengals plan on maximizing their cap space. The same goes for Chase. The star receiver has a $21.8 million cap hit after the Bengals picked up his fifth-year option last season.

That number would drop if Cincinnati signed Chase to a long-term extension.

And then there's Hendrickson. The 30-year-old led the NFL in sacks last season with 17.5. He's one of the top pass rushers in the league. The Bengals gave him permission to seek a trade on Thursday.

If Cincinnati trades Hendrickson, they'll clear $16 million in cap space. They could also sign him to an extension—Myles Garrett's mega extension with the Browns is proof that these things can change in a hurry.

Getting clarity on all three guys is crucial if the Bengals are going to be aggressive in free agency. They have cap space, but if they truly want to maximize their resources and make the most out of the room they have, they would have some urgency and try to get all three of them done before free agency started.

Finding a way to get one or more of these deals done before Monday at Noon is crucial to Cincinnati adding key pieces to their roster in free agency.

The Bengals have $51 million in cap space according to Over The Cap, but the true number is just over $40 million when you account for rookies and practice squad players for the 2025 season.

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