The Cincinnati Bengals are fresh off their second consecutive last-place finish in the AFC North, though it’s hard to fault any of the team’s key offensive players for their lack of recent success.
However, WR Tee Higgins, 26, may be headed towards a second franchise tag, and WR Ja’Marr Chase, who turns 25 in March, has just one season remaining on his rookie-scale deal (the fifth-year option that the Bengals picked up last spring).
While attempting to keep this offensive core may put the Bengals in a bind salary-cap-wise, it sounds like the franchise plans to do everything it can to keep the WR duo and QB Joe Burrow together.
Bengals Executive Tells Media He Wants Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins “On My Team”
Duke Tobin, the Bengals’ director of player personnel, is the team’s de facto general manager. He’s made plenty of comments about Higgins and Chase’s contract situations in the past. Although with the clock about to strike midnight, he made his feelings on the team’s star receivers known.
"I want (Tee Higgins) on my team."
Duke Tobin just now at the podium in Indy.
"Our preference is a long term agreement. We'll work hard to get that done."
Later said he's "optimistic" it gets done.
(Via @HolgateRegan and @GSorrentinoTV)#Bengals @Fox19 pic.twitter.com/DuwOfZ5zYD
— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) February 25, 2025
Speaking to reporters at the 2025 NFL Draft Combine, Tobin told the media, “Tee Higgins… seems like three or four or five years I’ve been talking about Tee. I think you guys all know what I feel about Tee Higgins. I think Tee Higgins is a fantastic football player, and I want him on my football team.
“Whenever I’m in charge of a football team, I’ll want Tee Higgins,” Tobin continued in his effusive praise of the wideout. “Our preference with Tee Higgins is to do a long-term agreement. Always has been, and it continues to be… We’re fortunate to be in a position to where we can fit them all [of our team’s great players] in.”
In the same media session, Tobin gushed just as hard over Chase, the team’s first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
“Ja’Marr is always going to be our priority. He’s a fantastic football player,” Tobin said. “He’s gonna end up being the No. 1-paid non-quarterback in the league. We’re there; let’s get it done. The earlier we can do some of this stuff, the freer it gets us to build the rest of the team.”
Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin on Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson all seeking new contracts:
pic.twitter.com/LXd5DJi5MI— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 25, 2025
The LSU product has been as good as advertised in the NFL, posting four straight 1,000-yard seasons to begin his career.
As Tobin alluded to, the team’s cap situation is pretty manageable, with more than $58 million available heading into the new league year. Burrow ($46.25 million) and Chase ($21.8 million) are the only players with 2025-26 cap hits in excess of $20 million for Cincinnati, and so far, they seem to have earned those hits.
Burrow finished as PFSN’s fifth-ranked signal-caller in 2024 with an 88.5 QB+ grade, tossing 43 touchdowns against nine interceptions while leading the league in passing.
Chase won the receiving triple crown with 127 receptions for 1,708 yards and 17 TDs, while his partner in crime, Higgins, wrapped up the 2024 season with 911 yards and 10 touchdowns on 73 receptions in just 12 games.
Extensions for both Higgins and Chase shouldn’t be ruled out, though the team has other pending free agents to take care of as well. Safety Vonn Bell, cornerback Mike Hilton, and tight end Mike Gesicki are just a few of the names set to hit free agency in March.
Also, EDGE rusher Trey Hendrickson wants a new deal, and Tobin said that he’s “hopeful” the two sides can figure out something that’s “acceptable” for all involved. Hendrickson has now recorded 17.5 sacks in back-to-back seasons, and he led the NFL in sacks in 2024.
It’ll be a fascinating offseason in the Queen City as the team overhauls a defense that ranked 25th in points allowed and 28th in PFSN’s Defense+ metric in the 2024 season. Still, retaining the duo of Higgins and Chase should be the priority for Tobin and his front office, especially if the goal remains to keep franchise cornerstone Burrow happy.