The Cincinnati Bengals shocked the NFL world late Sunday night when it was announced that they had reached a pair of agreements with their star Wide Receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. After years of negotiation and avoiding commitment between the two premier perimeter threats, a deal was made. News broke that Chase had gotten a deal done as the top-paid non-quarterback in NFL history by average annual salary and that Higgins was the league’s top-paid No. 2 wide receiver.
Chase is coming off a career year that saw the LSU product connect with fellow former Tiger Joe Burrow 127 times for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was set to enter the final year of his rookie contract. The Bengals front office had publicly stated that they would make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. They came through on their promise and signed him to a four-year, $161 million deal with $112 million guaranteed. After placing the franchise tag on Higgins earlier this offseason, Cincinnati secured their second wide receiver to a four-year, $115 million deal with the first two years guaranteed.
Chase and Higgins Sign 4-Year Deals With Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals finalized contracts with their top two wide receivers Sunday night, with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins signing four-year deals to stay with the team. The news was broken to Fox Sports by the camps of Chase and Higgins with the staggering contract details. The negotiations had been tenuous for both players and until this offseason, the Bengals had been reticent to commit to keeping the duo with Burrow for the long term. Those worries are now out the window, as Burrow, Chase, and Higgins are under contract in Cincinnati for the next four years.
Chase, 25, is coming off a season where he set career highs across the board in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns, securing the fifth receiving triple crown since the AFL-NFL merger. He signed the biggest contract ever for a non-quarterback with a four-year, $161 million deal. The $40.25 million annual salary makes Chase the highest-paid non-quarterback in football, realizing the promise that Cincinnati Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin made at the NFL Combine earlier this month. “He’s going to end up being the No. 1 paid non-QB in the league. We’re there. Let’s get it done.”
Higgins, 26, is coming off an injury-plagued 2024 that saw him catch 73 balls for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games. The former second-round draft pick, taken with the first pick after the Bengals took Burrow in the 2020 draft, will stay with him for four years. Higgins was slated to make $26.2 million in 2025 in his second year on the franchise tag.
Burrow will wake up Monday morning one happy camper. Burrow had voiced his opinion numerous times on the contract negotiations, reiterating his desire to have his top two receiving threats back with the Bengals. At the NFL Pro Bowl Games in January, Burrow told ESPN, “We have several guys like [Chase] who have stepped up for us and deserved to be paid, and deserve to be paid what they’re worth.” The trio of Burrow, Chase, and Higgins will make $125 million for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2025. For the rest of the offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals can focus on other tasks to improve their team and get back into the Super Bowl picture.
