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The Cincinnati Bengals reached agreements on extensions with wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, both players confirmed exclusively to FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz Sunday (March 16) night.
"BREAKING: #Bengals WRs Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins exclusively tell me they’ve agreed to contract extensions with the team. Ja'Marr gets: 4-years, $161M with $112M guaranteed — making him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history. Tee gets: 4-years, $115M with the first two years guaranteed — making him the highest paid WR2 in NFL history," Shultz wrote on his X account.
Chase will earn an estimated $40.25 million annually, which is the highest average annual salary paid to a non-quarterback in NFL history.
The agreements conclude negotiations with both players that went on for years -- which included Higgins being franchise tagged for the second consecutive offseason prior to his agreement -- after quarterback Joe Burrow publicly endorsed his top two receivers both getting new deals.
"We have several guys like [Chase] who have stepped up for us and deserved to be paid," Burrow told ESPN at the Pro Bowl Games in January. "And deserve to be paid what they're worth."
Chase, 25, led the NFL in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17), all of which were career-best totals. Higgins, 26, recorded 73 receptions for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns, despite being limited to nine starts and 12 appearances due to injuries.