Now not showing more likely to prolong Ja’Marr Chase and cut up with Tee Higgins, the Bengals have seen their up to date plan — one that includes a hopeful long-term Higgins future in Cincinnati — produce notable progress.
After a report earlier this week indicated Higgins and the Bengals have been nonetheless far aside, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports the staff has made “vital progress” on extensions for each Chase and Higgins. As Trey Hendrickson resides in limbo due to the staff’s renewed Higgins curiosity, Cincy may have offers performed with its longtime WR pair quickly.
Nothing is growing on the Hendrickson commerce entrance, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, who provides no contract adjustment seems imminent, both. This can be the price of doing enterprise for the Bengals, who’ve set a transparent hierarchy that locations Higgins above Hendrickson within the contract queue.
In the meantime, nonetheless, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini adds the Chase and Higgins contracts ought to mix to achieve or surpass $70M per 12 months. This appeared like a situation the Bengals wished to keep away from as not too long ago as January, when Duke Tobin mentioned a Higgins extension must come on the “proper quantity.” However Cincy re-tagged Higgins, as Joe Burrow ramped up strain on the group to maintain the duo collectively. The Bengals might want to pay their duo greater than the Dolphins and Eagles did their high-end tandems.
It’s price questioning if this is able to be one of the simplest ways for the Bengals to take a position, particularly contemplating nearly every thing had pointed to the staff transferring on from Higgins in 2025. The staff has a historical past with a quarterback rising pissed off with its lack of aggressiveness, nonetheless, as a Carson Palmer–Mike Brown dustup ended with the previous franchise QB traded in 2011. Tobin was with the Bengals at that time. The staff now seems near maintaining Burrow’s troops collectively, possible at the price of maintaining Hendrickson.
Chase turned down a Bengals provide this 12 months, however after the staff was unable to increase him earlier than the 2024 season, the market has shifted. Tobin mentioned he expected Chase to be the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback, after his triple-crown season upped his worth. However one other place’s market has affected this purpose. After the Raiders eclipsed Justin Jefferson‘s earlier non-QB AAV mark by paying Maxx Crosby $35.5M per 12 months, the Browns gave Myles Garrett a whopping $40M every year to again off his commerce request. The Bengals are within the crosshairs right here, as T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons and Aidan Hutchinson may change that quantity once more this offseason. Appearing early can be in Cincy’s finest pursuits now, although that has not precisely been a energy as of late for the staff.
Garrett attending to the place he did has already modified issues for the Bengals, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the leaguewide expectation is a deal that checks in between $40.1M and $41M per 12 months. Chase wouldn’t have commanded this in 2024, however the Brown had mentioned by coaching camp the Bengals have been unlikely to pay their WR1 earlier than final season. Though Chase’s hold-in utilized strain that did result in negotiations, nothing commenced. Now recommitted to extending Higgins, the Bengals are set to authorize a monster Chase extension that may change their roster blueprint.
