Bengals announce long-term deals for Chase, Higgins

The Cincinnati Bengals Tuesday re-signed WR Tee Higgins to a four-year contract through the 2028 season and signed WR Ja’Marr Chase to a four-year contract extension through the 2029 season.
       
Higgins, a sixth-year player out of Clemson University, originally was a second-round draft pick (No. 33 overall) of the Bengals in 2020. He has played in 70 career regular-season games with 62 starts for Cincinnati, and caught 330 passes for 4595 yards and 34 TDs. His TD receptions rank tied for 14th in the NFL since he entered the league in 2020, while his receiving yardage ranks 18th.
       
Higgins has recorded at least 900 receiving yards in four of his five pro seasons, including back-to-back 1000-yard campaigns in 2021 and ’22. He has 14 career 100-yard receiving games, with six occurring in the month of December. He is the fifth-fastest player in Bengals history to reach 4000 career receiving yards (63 regular-season games) and the fourth-fastest to 300 career receptions (65 games).
       
Higgins in 2024 ranked second on the Bengals in receptions (73), receiving yards (911) and receiving TDs (10). His 10 TD catches were a career high and tied for sixth in the NFL.
       
Higgins also has played in seven postseason contests with six starts for Cincinnati, and ranks second in team history in postseason receptions (31), second in receiving yards (457) and third in receiving average (14.7 yards per catch). He has two 100-yard receiving performances in the postseason, with 103 in the AFC Championship Game victory at Kansas City following the 2021 season and 100 in Super Bowl LVI.
       
The Bengals previously had designated Higgins as the team’s franchise player on March 3.
                
Chase, a fifth-year player out of Louisiana State University, was selected by the Bengals with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has played in 62 career regular-season games with 61 starts for Cincinnati, and caught 395 passes for 5425 yards and 46 TDs. His receiving yardage and receiving TDs each are the third-most in a player’s first four seasons in NFL history, while his receptions are fourth-most. He also leads the NFL in TD catches since entering the league in 2021, while ranking third in receiving yards and sixth in receptions in that span.
       
Chase has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons, and he is one of six players in NFL history to begin his career with four consecutive 1000-yard receiving campaigns. He holds a career average of 87.5 receiving yards per game, the second-highest rate in league history.
       
Considered one of the game’s top downfield threats, Chase leads the NFL in TD receptions of 40 or more yards (18), 50 or more yards (13) and 60 or more yards (12) since the start of his 2021 rookie season. His 12 scoring catches of at least 60 yards also are the most in a career in Bengals history, and the most by a player under the age of 25 since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger.
       
Chase is coming off a historic 2024 season in which he led the NFL in receptions (127), receiving yards (1708) and receiving TDs (17) to become the sixth winner of the “Triple Crown” in the Super Bowl era. His catch total and receiving yardage each set a Bengals single-season record, while his 17 TDs tied the franchise record set by WR Carl Pickens in 1995. Chase was a unanimous first-team All-Pro selection by the Associated Press and was voted one of two FedEx Air and Ground Players of the Year. He became the first player in NFL history with at least 1,700 receiving yards and 17 receiving TDs in a single season.
       
Chase also helped lead the Bengals’ to Super Bowl LVI following the 2021 season, and to the team’s second consecutive appearance in the AFC Championship Game following ’22. He started seven postseason games for Cincinnati in those campaigns and already holds Bengals postseason records for receptions (45) and receiving yards (588). His 588 receiving yards are the second-most in a player’s first seven postseason games in NFL history, behind former Washington WR Charlie Brown (643; 1982-83).
 
The following statements were released Tuesday.
 
Team President Mike Brown:
       
“Ja’Marr and Tee have proven they are outstanding wide receivers. Together with Joe Burrow, we have a very potent offense. That gives us a foundation to win games. It’s hard to cover both of them. Ja’Marr is gifted. He makes exceptional plays. I just look at the plays he makes and marvel. Tee has a great catch radius. He makes plays that stand out in your memory. We are fortunate to have this pair of receivers.”
 
Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin:
       
“The Bengals have a long history of drafting and retaining elite wide receivers, and we’re happy to continue that tradition with Ja’Marr and Tee. We are known for our explosive, high-scoring offense and Ja’Marr and Tee are a big part of that identity. They earned these extensions with their abilities and promise for the future. We have our receivers. The rest of the league can go find their own.”
 
Head Coach Zac Taylor:
       
“It’s great to see these two guys be rewarded. Their hard work, commitment to their craft and dedication to our team make this an exciting day for all of us. We look forward to a great future with this duo helping lead the way.”
 
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