Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins Contract Terms
The Bengals have agreed to terms with wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on extensions, FOXSports insider Jordan Schultz first reported.
Chase and Higgins both confirmed the news on their official X accounts.
— Ja’MarrChase (@Real10jayy__) March 17, 2025
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— Tee Higgins? (@teehiggins5) March 17, 2025
According to Schultz, the Bengals were informed Sunday night that Chase and Higgins, who share an agent, were accepting their offers. The parameters were ironed out on Saturday. An official announcement will be made this week.
Chase's contract is for four years and worth $161 million with $112 million guaranteed. The deal makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Higgins agreed to a four-year, $115 million contract to keep one of the NFL's most dynamic receiving duos together in Cincinnati -- something quarterback Joe Burrow has been lobbying for all offseason.
The Bengals didn't wait long to celebrate the news on their X feed.
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) March 17, 2025
Fantasy Impact
Chase, who hoped to get this deal last summer, conducted a "hold-in" during training camp and did not participate in team activities. He ended his stalemate with the club ahead of the first game of the 2024 season.
Nonetheless, Chase recorded career bests almost across the board en route to a WR1 season that saw him rack up 403 fantasy points. He scored 40-plus points three times, including one game where he scored 55.4 points. In that Week 10 contest, he demonstrated how high the ceiling can be, hauling in 11 of 16 targets while racking up 264 yards with three touchdown catches against the Ravens.
Chase's 23.7-point per game average, sustained over 17 games, was four more than the second-highest average among wide receivers (Tampa Bay's Chris Godwin averaged 19.7 points per week before a season-ending injury sidelined him in Week 7).
Meanwhile, Higgins posted the fourth-highest average among all fantasy receivers. He tied with Justin Jefferson and Amon-Ra St. Brown at 18.7 points per game.
The 26-year-old has battled injury issues in recent years. Higgins has played in 12 games in each of the last two seasons. Even with the missed time last year, Higgins hauled in a career-high 10 touchdown receptions to go with 73 catches for 911 yards.
With his top downfield weapons running rampant, Burrow finished as QB2 through Week 18 with 22.5 points per game, as Cincinnati ranked first in the NFL in passing yards per game (272.9) and in passing touchdowns (43).
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Fantasy Fallout
There is no bad news here. Getting these deals done early removes any mystery fantasy investors have heading into the season. We can draft Chase, who is going first overall in early Underdog best-ball drafts -- just ahead of Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, with confidence.
Chase is also WR1 on the initial 2025 Footballguys Draft Projections.
Higgins, projected to finish as WR16, is going as WR14 on Underdog with the 25th pick.
Burrow is being drafted as QB5, which aligns directly with his Footballguys projection.
Of course, whatever keeps the passing attack on schedule works for running back Chase Brown, who finished last season 10th in points among running backs. Newly re-signed Mike Gesicki is coming off a 65-catch, 665-yard, two-touchdown season. While the presence of Chase and Higgins somewhat caps his upside, he'll be of some interest as a fantasy TE2 in this offense.
Schultz added that by extending Chase and Higgins, the Bengals will lower both players' cap hits for this season. Higgins' cap number was over $26 million, and Chase's was over $21 million. Both will now decrease, giving Cincinnati more flexibility to continue building their roster -- and perhaps retain Pro Bowl pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who has been permitted to seek a trade but who's also made it clear he'd prefer to remain a Bengal.
Stock Watch
Risers
Fallers
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Overview
Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins informed the Bengals on Sunday that they have agreed to contract extensions. Chase agreed to a four-year, $161 million deal that includes $112 million guaranteed, while Higgins agreed to a four-year, $115 million deal that is guaranteed for the first two years. Chase's deal has an annual average of $40.25 million, setting an NFL record for the highest average annual salary for a non-quarterback. The agreements conclude years of negotiations for each player. And quarterback Joe Burrow, who has been vocal in advocating for Chase and Higgins to get new contracts, now has his top targets secured.
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