NFL legend and Hall of Famer Michael Irvin isn’t buying the age-old saying that “defense wins championships.” In a conversation with Kay Adams on her show “Up & Adams” on March 24, Irvin firmly pushed back on the popular narrative — especially when it comes to building a championship team in today’s league.
Michael Irvin Has Opinions on How To Win Super Bowls
“I don’t concur with that conclusion at all,” Irvin said when Adams raised concerns about the wisdom of paying two different star wide receivers.
“And I don’t concur with the conclusion of ‘defense wins championships.’ Points win championships. Let’s not get it twisted. You can play a 100-snap game and play great for 99 plays, but if you give up one point and have zero points, you lose.”
Michael Irvin believes the Bengals are Super Bowl contenders after paying Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins! 🏆@heykayadams | @michaelirvin88 | @Real10jayy__ | @teehiggins5 | @bengals pic.twitter.com/EJhrfEfLCP
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) March 24, 2025
“Points win championships,” Irvin repeated. “So if you’ve got your two wide receivers, and you know you have one of the best quarterbacks, let’s maximize the opportunity to get points. We can find people to put together a pretty good defense. But if the other team has to put up 35 points a game, you’ve got a pretty good shot at winning.”
Despite being a Dallas Cowboys legend, Irvin’s pick to contend for a Super Bowl isn’t America’s Team: it’s the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Absolutely,” Irvin said when asked if the Bengals are Super Bowl contenders. “They got to the Super Bowl with what we [called] the worst offensive line to ever make it because they had those beasts … so they’re shaking it up in more ways than one.”
The Bengals have drawn criticism for their aggressive roster moves and for signaling a commitment to retaining their star receivers, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, despite the financial implications. Speculation had swirled for months over whether the franchise would avoid extending both due to its historical reluctance to spend big.
Among the highest-paid QBs in the NFL, several are paired and locked in alongside one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL. However, when it comes to the highest-paid QB/WR duos, not many teams compare to the Bengals in terms of the third-highest-paid offensive star.
Teams With a Top-10-Paid QB and WR’s per-Year AAV Among Top 3 Offensive Players:
- Cincinnati: Burrow, Chase, Higgins ($124 million annual average value, AAV)
- Miami: Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle ($111.35 million AAV)
- Detroit: Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell ($111 million AAV)
- Dallas: Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Terence Steele ($110.5 million AAV)
- Philadelphia: Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith ($108 million AAV)
Irvin’s comments have made it clear — not everyone’s against the Bengals’ bold direction. Receivers backing receivers is nothing new, but Irvin’s stance adds a Hall of Fame stamp of approval to Cincinnati’s strategy. One that could pay off with a possible Super Bowl.