Joe Burrow got his wish.
Burrow publicly advocated for the Cincinnati Bengals to retain Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins this offseason.
“We all want to stay together, so we want to make it work,” Burrow told NFL Network in February.
The very next month the Bengals re-signed Chase to a four-year, $161 million deal, making him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL, and Higgins to a four-year, $115 million pact.
The two now represent the highest-paid receiver duo in the NFL. Cincinnati, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Miami Dolphins are the only three teams in the NFL who have receiver duos earning an annual average of $25 million or over.
Are two receivers absorbing a large percentage of a team’s salary cap a winning formula? It’s not an exact science. The Eagles won Super Bowl 59 with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith earning at least $25 million a season ago, but the Dolphins missed the playoffs while paying Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in the same neighborhood. The Bengals were on vacation during the 2024 postseason before they inked Chase and Higgins to mega deals.
Combine Burrow’s five-year, $275 million deal that he signed in 2023, the Bengals are allocating approximately $124 million a year for three players.
The three large contracts have compromised Cincinnati’s defense to some degree. The Bengals and standout defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who led the NFL in sacks in 2024, are in a contract dispute. Meanwhile, 2025 first-round pick defensive end Shemar Stewart and the Bengals are in a contract standoff because of contract language. Stewart is the NFL’s only unsigned 2025 first-round pick.
Defense was the Bengals’ big problem last season. The Bengals lost six games in which they scored 25 points or more and lost four contests where they scored at least 33 points. Cincinnati ranked 25th in both points allowed and total defense last year.
