The Cincinnati Bengals have agreed to spend $ 276 million to keep the favorite goals of Quarterback Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
As reported by Jordan Schultz from Fox Sports, the Chase deal makes him the best paid non-quarterback in NFL history with $ 161 million that goes to the recipient for more than four years. In the meantime, the Higgins deal is also four years old, albeit for 'only' 115 million.
The Chase deal has $ 112 million in reported guarantees, while the first two years of Higgins -deal is also guaranteed.
In combination with Burrow's $ 46 million salary in 2025, the Bengal could use around 40 percent of their salary capace on only three players, depending on how the deals of the chase and Higgins are structured. Burrow was also able to restructure his deal to house his recipients.
Bengal did not make a secret of their intention to pay pursuit when discussing his future at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
The Cincinnati Bengals have agreed to spend $ 276 million to keep the favorite goals of Quarterback Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase (right) and Tee Higgins (center)
Ja'MARR Chase (1) and broad recipient T -piece Higgins (5) watch the scoreboard towards the end of the match against the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals on 8 September
“He eventually becomes the number 1 paid non-quartback in the competition,” said director of player staff Duke Tobin about Chase, who has played with Burrow since their LSU days.
“We're there,” he went on. “Let's get it done. The sooner we can do part of this stuff, the freer it gives us to build the rest of the team. We have other needs that we want to build, and so we want to do things like this early enough to really concentrate on building the rest of the football team, but they are all priorities for us, but those who are not signed are those who are first on the table. '
Coach Zac Taylor repeated Tobin's statement and added that the team also wants to extend the Higgins contract and continue to give Burrow the game makers who help make one of the most dynamic passing attacks of the competition.
“It's good to have great players who want to be rewarded,” Taylor said. “That's a good problem to have.”
Chase led the competition in receptions (127), recruiting this season (1,708) and touchdown -catches (17) and only became the sixth wide receiver in the Super Bowl era to reach the receiving triple crown.
The Bengal took his fifth year option of $ 21,816 million, but will give him a long -term agreement in the reach of $ 40 million a year. Higgins played on the franchise day of $ 21.8 million last season and was recently tagged again, but now seems to get the long -term agreement that he has always searched in Cincinnati.
Higgins, 26, played in 12 games (nine starts) in 2024 and caught 10 TD passes with 73 receptions for 911 Yards. He has 34 career touchdowns, 330 catches and 4,595 Yards in 70 games in the regular season (62 starts) since he was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL concept.
In an attempt to free up some CAP room, the Bengal All-Pro Edge Rusher Trey Trey Hendrickson allows you to seek an exchange, two people with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press.
People spoke with the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss personnel movements.
ESPN reported for the first time that Hendrickson was given permission to seek an exchange after receiving a statement from the Bengals star.
“It was an honor and a privilege to represent Cincinnati in the last four years,” said Hendrickson in the statement. 'I love this city and organization. I appreciate the privilege that I can now explore my options. '
Hendrickson had 17 1/2 bags last season for the second consecutive year. His 57 pockets since the Bengal in 2021 were among the Bengal, third place in the competition in the past four seasons. After four seasons, he signed with Cincinnati with New Orleans.
The Bengal also signed a sustainable defensive Tackle BJ Hill to a three -year -old $ 33 million deal and agreed to the conditions with Neuspackle TJ Slaton.
Retter Samaje Perine, who spent last season with the Chiefs and played for the Broncos in 2023, also agreed to a two -year deal to return to Cincinnati.
Hill, who will be 30 next month, has only missed two of a possible 114 matches since he was broken into the competition as a third round pick from the New York Giants in 2018.
Hill has 23.5 bags, 66 Quarterback hits, 341 tackles, 16 steps defended, 4 messy recovery and a few interceptions registered, while 67 starts for the Giants (2018-20) and Bengals.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he is in ninth place of all defensive tackles and nose tackles last season in Run Stop Win Rate with 37 percent.
The Bengal acquired Hill in a trade in August 2021 that sent the former first round offensive lineman Billy Price to the Giants.
Slaton is a gap-clogger on 6-foot-5, 330, and started each match each of the last two seasons for the packers. He will again join his former position coach, Jerry Montgomery, in Cincinnati. Montgomery coached Slaton from 2021-23 and is now D-Line Coach for the Bengal.
Perine, 29, played for the Bengal from 2020-22 and will be a back-up to chase Brown in 2025. Perine collected 92 hurrying and 322 receiving yards with the Chiefs last season.
