Much has changed since those early conversations but both secured long-term deals last week and officially signed their contracts Tuesday. Now the pressure is on, as the Bengals seek to prove that bucking old habits – and paying all their top guys with guaranteed money included – will yield results that previously eluded them.
There are still outside doubts they went about it the right way with a lot of holes to fill elsewhere on the roster.
“Everyone has their own opinion,” Higgins said. “We have a different philosophy here. We believe. That’s all I can say. We believe we can get it done. Anyone that has doubts, we’ll try to flip their mind and believe in us just like we believe in ourselves.”
In locking up quarterback Joe Burrow and his top two receivers through at least 2028, the Bengals officially have their “championship window” established.
Higgins said he doesn’t feel any added pressure to live up to his four-year, $115 million deal, which puts his cap hit at $20 million this year (down from the $26.2 million it would have been on the franchise tag). He never pays attention to outside noise anyway. Chase called his own record $40.25 million average per year deal on a four-year extension worth $161 million is “just a number.”
“There’ll be a lot of doubters out there,” Chase said. “A lot of critics out there. I was told I was going to have the worst season of my life last year because I didn’t have camp. And I heard that more than I’ll be the highest paid.
“Hearing stuff like that — everybody is going to have a say, so, it’s just how you handle the situation,” he continued. “All you can do is show up and put ourselves in position to win.”
Chase is coming off the best year of his career, winning the receivers’ triple crown with league-leading 127 catches, 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns. He’s topped 1,000 yards in each of his four professional seasons, and the 2024 campaign was his second straight year with 100 catches or more.
The 2021 No. 5 overall draft pick already owns franchise single-season and single-game records. He’s coming after all of the other records he could set.
Higgins has 900 yards or more in four of his five season since the Bengals drafted him in the second round, after Burrow, in 2020, and he has twice topped the 1,000-yard milestone. Staying healthy and playing 16 games or more is the next task but even missing games his impact on the offense was noticeable enough to take the risk.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Chase said Higgins isn’t wide receiver No. 2 – he’s “1A.” Both players are of equal importance to the offense and to winning championships, which was why he kept making sure Higgins would get his deal even if Chase was getting paid the highest salary among non-quarterbacks in league history.
“We know what it smells like,” Chase said of the potential to win a championship together. “We did it (an AFC championship) when we didn’t even think we was going to be there, if I’m being honest, so we know what it takes to get there. We’ve got to start off faster, not even just start off faster but just be ready for anything -- not saying defense side of the ball, but the offensive side too. We’ve got to be ready for anything, adjust to anything.”
The Bengals won back-to-back AFC North titles in Chase and Higgins’ first two seasons together, made a Super Bowl at the end of the 2021 campaign and another AFC championship appearance in 2022.
Chase said money won’t change who he is; it just gives him “access to do stuff” he couldn’t when he was younger. Both he and Higgins said they will still have a chip on their shoulders as long as there are championships to chase.
“I want to win a championship,” Higgins said. “Money is not really being emphasized. In four years, I’m trying to win a championship.”
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