John Sheeran discusses how wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins both made Cincinnati Bengals history with their new deals.
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00:00The Bengals are signing both Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins to massive four-year contracts,
00:04and that's phenomenal news. But in this video, I'll explain why one of these contracts in
00:08particular is so important for the future of the Bengals.
00:14Hi again, Bengals fans. Jon Sheeran of A to Z Sports Cincinnati here,
00:18and the Bengals once again did it at night. A couple of years ago, Orlando Brown Jr.
00:22signed the biggest external free agent contract in Bengals history at 10.30 at night in March.
00:28A few months later, Joe Burrow agreed to terms on the largest contract in NFL history
00:32during Thursday Night Football to begin that season. And now, Sunday night, March 16th,
00:37the Bengals agreed to terms with both Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins on two separate four-year contracts.
00:43Jamar Chase is now the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL and is guaranteed
00:48more money than Justin Jefferson, his old college partner. And while everyone who thought about this
00:52for longer than five seconds knew that the Bengals were eventually going to pay Jamar Chase, it is
00:57good that they did not wait around any longer than they actually had to after Miles Garrett
01:02reached the $40 million per year mark. Chase is on track to being the most accomplished,
01:06most talented, best overall receiver in this long history of great receivers in Cincinnati football.
01:12He was always going to be someone that they pay, that they bend to, that they give out guaranteed
01:17money to. He was always going to break precedent. He was always going to be an exception to the
01:22rule. Jamar Chase is just that good, and the Bengals were always going to get this done.
01:26However, the same could not be said about Tee Higgins, and there are multiple reasons as to
01:31why this was the case. For starters, this does not happen if Tee Higgins doesn't change his agent
01:36last season, because the Bengals tried and failed on at least two separate occasions to reach a
01:40long-term deal with Higgins when he was previously represented by David Molageta. When the Bengals
01:44placed the franchise tag on him the first time in 2024, everyone believed that that bridge had
01:49been burned, that there was no hope in getting Higgins signed long-term so long as Molageta
01:53was representing him and trying to push for these guarantees that the Bengals just never go for
01:58for a player like Higgins, and we'll get to that part in a second. But the Bengals were very close
02:02last year in extending Chase when he was being represented by Rocky Arsenault. Now, Higgins could
02:06have kept Molageta. He would have eventually hit free agency, and Molageta has always been known
02:10to getting his clients the best possible deals with the most guaranteed money. He would have
02:13been perfectly fine getting the deal that he wanted from some other team, but that's not what
02:17he wanted to do. He wanted to get a deal done here in Cincinnati, so he made the conscious decision
02:23of swapping Molageta for Arsenault to team up with Jamar Chase's representation to get both of
02:28these deals done. Oftentimes, you see players switch agents for the sake of maximizing their
02:33potential earnings. In this case, Higgins was potentially sacrificing his guarantees in this
02:37contract, but he did it again to stay with the Bengals and Chase. So that was step number one.
02:42Hope had been restored. The Bengals could actually get both Chase and Higgins done and keep their
02:46star quarterback Joe Burrow happy, but there was still an obstacle here because just because Higgins
02:50had changed his agent didn't mean that he was willing to sacrifice giving up guaranteed money
02:55in the second year of his contract. And for a player like Higgins, who's not exactly a perennial
02:59pro bowl or all pro talent or an elite player like a Jamar Chase or Joe Burrow who managed to get
03:04those guarantees and were always going to get those guarantees, Higgins wasn't exactly that type
03:08of player, and those types of players in Bengals history have never been able to get future
03:12guarantees beyond just the first year. And this was always going to be the most compelling part
03:16of the story if it actually happened. And it turns out it did, because in Higgins is four
03:21year, $115 million contract that can actually go up even further with incentives. That second year
03:26is guaranteed. Not only did Higgins get what he wanted with a new agent, but this could also be a
03:31sign that the Bengals are now willing to offer future guarantees to players like Higgins, who
03:36are just again below that truly elite status. I mean, just think how many players in the last few
03:40years have left the Bengals because they were able to get guaranteed money from other teams.
03:44Jesse Bates here is the obvious answer and newsflash, David Mulligan was his agent too,
03:48but DJ Reeder, Kevin Zeitler, Marvin Jones, the list goes on and on for players who weren't able
03:53to get the Bengals to bend for them. Tee Higgins was able to do that himself. There's certainly a
03:57debate about whether or not the Bengals should have actually done this. Should they have paid
04:00so much money, so much capital resources going to two receivers when they have a truly elite
04:05quarterback in Burrow? And I see that argument. I truly do. But take it from me, who's watched
04:10this team fumble around with their best players for so many years, squabbling over guarantees that
04:1630 other franchises offer without a second thought. This is a significant moment in the history of the
04:21Bengals franchise, particularly with how they do business, with how they give out their own money,
04:26cherish it, relish it, use it as a benchmark for what should be the standard to come. I truly have
04:32no idea if the Bengals are going to be good for the next four years, but I know they're going to
04:36be worth watching.