After more than a year of contentious negotiations, the Cincinnati Bengals signed wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to four-year contract extensions. Two years ago, the tandem was earning a combined average annual salary of just $9.8 million. In 2025, that same tandem will earn a combined average annual salary of $69 million.
Details regarding the negotiations seem to suggest that the Bengals’ trio of offensive stars colluded to ensure Higgins remained in Cincinnati. Higgins was clearly not viewed as a priority in comparison to Chase, and early indicators suggested that the 26-year-old was destined to be traded after being franchise tagged for the second consecutive year. Instead, pressure from Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, as well as Chase and Higgins’ agent, resulted in a long-term deal.
Higgins signed a four-year, $115 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid No. 2 wide receiver in NFL history. He will earn $28.7 million annually, which ranks sixth-most among all active wide receivers.
While the initial numbers suggest Higgins received the long-term investment that he was searching for, contract details acquired by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reveal that Cincinnati may not be entirely confident in their investment.
Tee Higgins’ contract protects the Bengals from injury risks
Higgins will receive just $30 million in fully guaranteed money — less than half of Chase’s $73.9 million guaranteed. That guarantee includes a $20 million roster bonus five days after signing the contract and a $10 million roster bonus next March. His $13.8 million base salary for 2025 is not guaranteed, but his $10.9 million base salary for 2026 becomes fully guaranteed next March.
Notably, Higgins’ contract includes $2 million in per-game roster bonuses throughout the four years of the deal, which provides Cincinnati with protection against injuries. The five-year veteran has never started every game in a single season, and he’s only played every regular-season game twice. He’s missed five games in each of the past two seasons.
Last season, Higgins missed two games with a hamstring injury and three games with a quadriceps strain, then exited the final game of the regular season with a high ankle injury. In 2023, he missed one game with a fractured rib and one game with a hamstring injury. He previously missed one game in 2022 with a hamstring injury and two games in 2021 with a shoulder injury.
Higgins, a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, finished the 2024 season with 73 receptions for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s reached the 1,000-yard mark just twice in his career.
Higgins could earn $35.9 million for 2025 if he plays all 17 games, but the Bengals could also part ways before his 2026 salary becomes fully guaranteed. The contract will provide Higgins with roughly $9.7 million more than the franchise tag in 2025 and what effectively amounts to $10 million in injury insurance for 2026.