The Cincinnati Bengals have secured their offensive future by signing wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to long-term contract extensions.
Chase agreed to a four-year, $161 million deal, including $112 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Higgins signed a four-year, $115 million contract with the first two years fully guaranteed.
The moves ensure that Joe Burrow will have his top targets for years to come, something the quarterback had been pushing for. “We have several guys like [Chase] who have stepped up for us and deserve to be paid what they’re worth,” Burrow said earlier this year.
BREAKING: #Bengals WRs Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins exclusively tell me they’ve agreed to contract extensions with the team.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 17, 2025
Ja'Marr gets: 4-years, $161M with $112M guaranteed — making him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history.
Tee gets: 4-years, $115M with the first two… pic.twitter.com/zbdnEDELgz
Chase, 25, is coming off a historic season, leading the league in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708), and touchdowns (17) to claim the receiving Triple Crown.
Since entering the NFL as the fifth overall pick in 2021, he has 395 catches for 5,425 yards and 46 touchdowns, earning four Pro Bowl selections and a first-team All-Pro nod.
Higgins, 26, played just 12 games last season due to injury but still managed 73 receptions for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Bengals placed the franchise tag on him for the second straight year before reaching an agreement.
Both receivers had tense negotiations with the team, with Higgins requesting a trade last offseason and Chase staging a brief hold-in during training camp.
🤝
— Tee Higgins⁵ (@teehiggins5) March 17, 2025
With these deals, Cincinnati keeps one of the NFL’s top receiving duos intact alongside Burrow, who signed a five-year, $275 million extension in 2023.
The Bengals, who led the NFL in receiving yards (4,640) and touchdowns (43) last season but missed the playoffs at 9-8, are betting on this core to lead them back to championship contention. “We’re paying guys for what they’re going to give us,” Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said.
The team’s attention now turns to defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who could be the next player in line for an extension.
