Bengals Football
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'marr Chase (1) and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) arrive for the NFL football team's practice in Cincinnati, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. CAROLYN KASTER / AP
Ja’Marr Chase doesn’t plan to write down any personal goals on his mirror this year. The Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver just wants to get back to the Super Bowl – and of course, the goal is to win it all.
That’s all fellow wideout Tee Higgins can think about, too. They both said there’s nothing left to accomplish.
With the entire starting lineup for the offense returning this year and the Bengals making big moves to improve the defense, Chase and Higgins say they don’t just want to get back to the playoffs. They see a championship contender and are tired of the results not matching the talent of the roster and individual achievements.
“I feel like we’ve done everything we need to do personal accolades-wise, but we’ve got to win a championship,” he said.
The Bengals’ top two receivers spoke to local media for the first time this offseason on Tuesday, June 2, and Chase shared the same sentiment as his teammate shortly after Higgins addressed reporters.
“It’s not stats, there's nothing I can think about that I say I want to go into this year and do,” Chase said. “That's how it should be. If you can't win the AFC Championship game -- that's a goal.”
The Bengals have everyone back for Phase 3 of the offseason workout program (OTAs), which started Monday, and the groundwork is being laid for team success now, Chase and Higgins said.
Chase was a Triple Crown winner two years ago and has made the Pro Bowl each of his first five seasons. Higgins achieved his goal of staying healthy last year, playing in 15 games for the first time since 2022. Quarterback Joe Burrow still awaits an MVP honor but has twice been the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
There’s no question Cincinnati has what it needs to be successful on offense, but the organization’s moves this offseason put action behind the words about wanting to win championships.
Higgins said he was stunned when he heard the Bengals were trading their first-round draft pick to the Giants for his former Clemson teammate, Dexter Lawrence.
“Obviously we want to win ‘ships, but definitely that was a big move, and happy we made it,” Higgins said.
The Bengals had to do something drastic on defense to turn things around. A capable offense the past three years hasn’t been able to overcome issues on the other side of the ball, and most notably the need for a more dynamic pass rush.
When asked if the current roster gives vibes of the 2021 squad that made a run to the Super Bowl, Chase wasn’t ready to go there. The Bengals still have much to prove on the field.
“We can't even talk about that, look at it, or compare,” Chase said. “There's no comparison, that team to this team. It's a completely new team, new faces, new players. We all just got to adjust with each other, learn how to play with each other.”
Staying healthy is another factor. Burrow missed nine games due to a turf toe injury suffered in Week 2, and although Joe Flacco eventually came in and got the offense rolling again, there was only so much he could control. Flacco is back and now more familiar with the playbook and his weapons should he be needed, and Cincinnati is banking on the defense doing its part now, too.
Higgins knows his own health will also be important. He changed his recovery process last year, as well as how he trained in the weight room and prepared for practices, to ensure he could play as many games as possible. He will continue that routine in 2026.
“I gotta stay healthy and do what I can to, you know, help my team get Ws,” Higgins said.
The Bengals also seem to have full buy-in from the team this offseason, although there are players in contract years seeking extensions, like cornerbacks DJ Turner and Dax Hill and running back Chase Brown. None of them are sitting out of Organized Team Activities.
Higgins said that’s a sign the players are all on the same page.
“We all want the same thing at the end of the day,” Higgins said. “Guys just want to grind.”