But waiting in the locker room was perhaps the most important one: Quarterback Joe Burrow, who showed the public who really is in charge. “I think everybody was confident we’d get Ja’Marr done,” Burrow told the Bengals’ website. “But to be able to get Tee done along with that speaks volumes about ownership, Duke, Zac.”

The Cincinnati Bengals are one of only two teams in the NFL that don't have a general manager, but it seems like they might have one now: Joe Burrow.  Sure, he's actually the quarterback, but he might as well be the Bengals' general manager because he was the catalyst for Cincinnati's two biggest moves of the 2025 offseason and those were the new deals for Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins that came on Sunday night.

Together, Burrow, Chase, and Higgins led an offense that was one of the most explosive in the NFL in 2024, and ranked first in the league in passing yards per game. By keeping this trio together, the Bengals only better their opportunity for future success. And at the very least, they're keeping their quarterback happy.