Cincinnati Bengals GM Duke Tobin recently told reporters that the team wants to make wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback. This comes a little more than a week after the Bengals reportedly said that they are hoping to re-sign wide receiver Tee Higgins, defensive end Trey Hendrickson, and Chase.
“Ja’Marr is always going to be our priority,” Tobin said. “He’s a fantastic football player. He’s going to end up being the number-one-paid non-quarterback in the league. We’re there. Let’s get it done.”
Bengals lead exec Duke Tobin said Ja’Marr Chase will be No.1 highest paid non-QB in NFL.
“We’re there, let’s get it done… signed contract that’s what needs to happen.” pic.twitter.com/vqV1WmY9nG
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) February 25, 2025
This is the second straight off-season that Cincy has tried to sign Chase to an extension. After the two sides failed to reach an agreement last year, Chase chose not to participate in training camp.
Missing out on training camp didn’t seem to impact his on-field performance. Chase finished the regular season as the league leader in catches (127), receiving yards (1,708), and touchdown receptions (17).
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Ja’Marr Chase is worth it
The Cincinnati Bengals are smart to prioritize Chase over Hendrickson and Tee Higgins. He is undoubtedly quarterback Joe Burrow’s favorite target, and he has been one of the five best wide receivers in the NFL since he entered the league.
Since being drafted in 2021, Ja’Marr Chase has recorded the third-most receiving yards amongst active players (5,425) behind only the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson and the Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill. During this stretch, he is also sixth in receptions (395), fifth in targets (582), second in receiving yards per game (87.5), and first in touchdown catches (46).
Signing Chase to a long-term contract extension will make him and Joe Burrow happy. That is incredibly important considering Burrow said earlier this month that he thinks the Bengals should be more proactive in paying their players, much like the Philadelphia Eagles have been.
Duke Tobin wouldn’t say if the Bengals will for sure tag Tee Higgins by the deadline but said the preference is to get a long-term deal with Tee done: pic.twitter.com/Vjk9J1BYiC
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) February 25, 2025
Cincinnati will only go as far as Joe Burrow takes them. Therefore, the Bengals must pay Burrow’s number one target.
Can the Bengals make the contract work?
Cincinnati should be able to pay Ja’Marr Chase. They’re scheduled to have a whopping $174.7 million in cap space in 2026, according to Over the Cap. If the Bengals really are going to make Chase the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, then the average annual value of his contract will probably be around $40 million since Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb makes roughly $39.2 million per year.
The problems come after Cincy signs Chase. If they also want to sign Trey Hendrickson and Tee Higgins, that will cost a substantial amount of money. Hendrickson could be worth $34 million per year when compared to the NFL’s highest-paid defensive end, the 49ers’ Nick Bosa. Meanwhile, Tee Higgins will likely want a long-term contract worth between $20 million and $30 million per year. Assuming they split the difference and Higgins’ average annual value is $25 million, that means four of Cincinnati’s players (including Burrow) will take up $141.3 million in cap space in 2026. That might not be feasible because the Bengals will almost certainly want to add free agents and sign numerous draft picks over the next two years.
.@BarstoolBigCat with perhaps the best question one could ask Joe Burrow about what exactly a restructured contract means. pic.twitter.com/Yjgr0hIpcy
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) February 12, 2025
There will have to be some cap casualties in 2025 and 2026. Players that the Bengals could cut to save money this off-season include defensive end Sam Hubbard ($11.5 million cap hit), offensive lineman Alex Cappa ($10.2 million cap hit), linebacker Germain Pratt ($7.9 million cap hit), and running back Zack Moss ($4.8 million cap hit). Cincy already parted ways with defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins to save $9.6 million even though he played 60% of the team’s defensive snaps in the seven games he started last season.
It also doesn’t hurt that Joe Burrow said he would be open to restructuring his contract. During an interview on the Pardon My Take podcast, Burrow said his deal could be reworked to provide the team with more cap flexibility.
“You could convert some of the money to a signing bonus, which will lower the cap hit,” Burrow explained. “You can push some of the money to the back end of the contract. That lowers the cap hit. And then, when you get to the back end of the contract, you can restructure it and convert it to a signing bonus. You can also just take less money.”
Regardless of where the money comes from, the Bengals will need more to sign Chase to the contract they are talking about while retaining both Trey Hendrickson and Tee Higgins.
