NFL Insider: 'All Eyes in the League Are On' Bengals amid Chase, Higgins Rumors

Perhaps no team in the NFL has bigger decisions to make this offseason than the Cincinnati Bengals. And that will make them an intriguing team to watch during the NFL Scouting Combine this upcoming week.

As Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic wrote: "Much like at the Super Bowl, the Bengals will be a popular topic in Indianapolis. That's because they are in contract discussions with some of the biggest stars in the sport. Tee Higgins could get an extension, get tagged or end up in tag-and-trade talks. Trey Hendrickson could get traded or extended. Ja'Marr Chase is about to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Joe Burrow spent the last two months applying pressure to the front office over keeping that group together. All eyes in the league are on the Bengals front office."

This offseason is a crucial one for the Bengals. If they fail to retain players like Higgins and Hendrickson, for instance, they risk soiling their relationship with Burrow, who wants to win right now. On the other hand, signing Higgins to a new deal while extending Hendrickson and Chase this offseason would be expensive, forcing the team to cut costs elsewhere.

The Bengals can make it work if they want too—other teams have demonstrated the sort of cap gymnastics needed to keep a team loaded with talent, like the Philadelphia Eagles this season or the Los Angeles Rams from a few years back. If the Bengals want to keep pace with the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens in the AFC, keeping their core group intact is vital.