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Cincinnati Bengals agree to historic contract extensions with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones•03/16/25•

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Syndication: USA TODAY
Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers Tee Higgins (5) and Ja'Marr Chase (1) celebrate a touchdown during a game on Nov. 17, 2024.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are signing new contract extensions with the team. Per Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, Chase has agreed to a four-year, $161 million deal, and Higgins has agreed to a four-year, $115 million contract.

For Chase, he will get $112 million guaranteed and is now the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. For Higgins, his first two years are guaranteed, making him the highest-paid No. 2 wide receiver in NFL history.

“The Bengals, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins made significant progress on these deals over the past week,” Schultz wrote on X/Twitter. “The deals were completed just a few hours ago and will be officially announced by the team this week. The cherry on top: both receivers locking in their contracts at the same time.”

Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are arguably the best wide receiver tandem in NFL history. In 17 games last year, Chase caught an NFL-leading 127 passes for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns. In 12 games, Higgins caught 73 passes for 911 yards and 10 scores.

Mega contracts were predicted for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins

The mega contract for both players shouldn’t be a big surprise since an NFL insider recently predicted something like this could happen. “Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are close on new deals, mega-extensions. [The Bengals] could be spending $70 million a year on two wide receivers, which is a lot allocated for just that position,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler explained. “But Ja’Marr Chase, the expectation league-wide is that he could be a $40 million a year man, because executive Duke Tobin is on the record that they want him to be the highest paid non-quarterback.”

Chase and Higgins have helped quarterback Joe Burrow become one of the best in the NFL. All three players played a key role in the Bengals Super Bowl run during the 2021 season, as Chase and Higgins had over 1,000 yards receiving, and Burrow threw for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns.

“He works for it. He grinds for it. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime-type player, and our careers will forever be tied together from college into the pro landscape,” Burrow said of Chase late last season, per the Bengals’ official website. “That’s just fun to be a part of.”