Was it a swansong or a harbinger of things to come?

Based on what Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said in his postgame press conference following a 27-20 road win over the Dallas Cowboys, it sounds like the latter.

And holy smokes, what a stunning surprise that would be.

The evening began with Burrow and receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins taking to midfield as game captains for the first time since they became teammates.

Chase had another great game with 14 catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning 40-yard catch-and-run with 61 seconds left, sparking a lot of talk about his impending contract.

But Burrow trumped Chase’s performance and pursuit of an extension with his comments about Higgins after the game when asked what the final moments they could play together might be, with Higgins expected to leave in free agency next season becomes.

“We don’t know, but these discussions are ongoing and I’m confident we can do whatever it takes to bring tea back,” Burrow said. “I know I will do whatever it takes to get him back and so will he. We’ve had these conversations. These will be off-season discussions, but we are excited about this opportunity.”

When asked what gives him that confidence, Burrow simply said, “We’ll see.”

This is not the first time he has made such comments.

In his season-ending press conference last year, Burrow said something similar.

“I expect tea to come back,” he said. “I think that’s the mood in the locker room. We all want tea back. We know what kind of player he is, we know what kind of person he is. He is what it means to be a Bengali. So like you said, we’ll see. But I think we should have a good chance.”

Instead of signing Higgins to an extension, the Bengals put the franchise tag on him.

They could do the same thing next year or sign both Higgins and Chase to historic contract extensions.

Is that even possible?

“It’s 100 percent possible,” Chase said. “In this situation I have to play chess, but it is possible.”

“I wish I could sign Tee myself and he could be with me forever,” Chase added.

Although there is still much to be resolved, Burrow’s postgame comments were an early Christmas present for Bengals fans, most of whom thought Higgins would wear a different jersey in 2025.

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