Ben Baby
Cincinnati – Two of the NFL’s most well-known wide receivers will be with the Cincinnati Bengals in the near future.
Ja’marr Chase and Tee Higgins told Fox Sports on Sunday that they agreed to the expansion agreement. Chase has agreed to a four-year, $161 million deal, including a $112 million guarantee, but Higgins has agreed to a four-year, $115 million deal, which is guaranteed for the first two years.
Chase’s trading averages $40 million a year, setting an NFL record for the highest average annual salary for non-quarterly sales.
The contract concludes each player’s long-standing negotiations. And quarterback Joe Burrow, who has spoken out by defending to win a new contract for Chase and Higgins, has secured his top target.
Playerapywr ja’marr chase $40.3mde Myles Garrett $40MDE MAXX CROSBY $355MWR JUSTIN JEFFERSON $35MDE NICK BOSA $34.2MWR Ceedee Lamb $34M-ESPN Research
“There are a few people like (Chase) who deserves to be stepped up for us and paid for us,” Burrow told ESPN at the Pro Bowl game in January. “And they deserve to pay for what is worth.”
Chase, who turned 25 on March 1st, is leaving one of his best seasons by receivers in NFL history. He has won the receiving triple crown since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, leading all players in reception (127), becoming the fifth player to receive yards (1,708), and touchdowns (17).
The 26-year-old Higgins was hampered by injuries last season, but was still productive when he was on the field. According to an ESPN survey, he was 10th in yards per game (75.9). He also caught 10 touchdowns in 12 appearances.
Each player was in team control over the next season. Chase was the final year of his rookie contract. The Bengals have placed the franchise tag on Higgins for the second year in a row.
However, the way the team used to control the pay of both players caused many surprises.
Prior to the 2024 free agency period, Higgins requested a deal after the franchise was tagged for the first time. The second round pick in the 2020 draft was ultimately decided to play in the tag last season.
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A few months later, Chase conducted a “hold-in” during training camp. There, they did not participate in the team activities. He ended a stalemate with the club ahead of the first game of the season.
Both players ultimately paid off not only for their previous efforts, but for what they would bring to the team in the future.
“We’re paying everyone for what they’re trying to give us,” player rep Duke Tobin’s Bengals director said at the league’s scouting combine in February. “We don’t just pay guys for what they’ve already done.”
Tobin, the team’s de facto general manager, revealed that the Bengalis wanted to give Chase a historic contract. Chase’s non-Quartarbacks record temporarily defeated Mark, whose recent four-year contract was signed by Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
And the prolonged issues from rough initial negotiations between the Bengals and Chase — sources said ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Chase, felt misunderstood — have been smoothed out by this offseason.
At the Scouting Combine, Bengals coach Zach Taylor said he and Chase have a “great relationship” that includes the ability of star receivers to provide feedback to the team’s offensive play characters.
TeamWr Duoapybengalsja’marr Chase & Tee Higgins $69MDOLPHINSTYREEK HILL & JAYLEN WADDLE $58.3MEAGLESA.J. Brown & Devonta Smith $57M*Current NFL Contract – ESPN Research
“Ja’marr does an amazing job as well as venting the answer that he doesn’t think because he wants the ball,” Taylor said. “There was a time when he said that, but it’s our job to put him in a position to get a touch early in every game.”
Last season, the Bengals boasted one of the league’s most efficient crimes. Cincinnati ranked eighth in points per drive, sixth in touchdowns per drive and fourth in touchdowns per pass.
That wasn’t enough to ensure the Bengals didn’t miss out on the playoffs of their second straight win. Repeat playoff absences came after a back-to-back trip to the AFC Championship Game, including Chase’s rookie season victory and Super Bowl appearance in 2021.
With Chase and Higgins based on new multi-year deals, Cincinnati has a playmaker restructuring their status as title candidates.
