After a long wait, the Cincinnati Bengals finally managed to reach a pair of contract extensions with their wide receiver duo, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Having failed to get ahead of the curb, the franchise is now set to pay a whopping $276 million over the next four years to retain Joe Burrow’s arsenal.
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After months of speculation surrounding the future of Higgins in particular, the pair of wideouts showered their quarterback with praises after he went to bat for them this offseason.
On the latest episode of The Rich Eisen Show, the seven-time Sports Emmy Awards nominee gave his reaction to the Bengals’ bank-breaking business transactions.
Reminding viewers of Burrow’s assertions that he would “change the way that their franchise’s fortunes go,” Eisen likened Cincinnati’s roster construction to that of a former NFL juggernaut.
“The Peyton Manning Colts, that put the money in Peyton and Marvin [Harrison] and Dallas Clark… They way that they did business is the way that the Bengals are going to try and win football games right now.”
With Chase having officially earned the honors of being a triple crown winner, in addition to the fact that Higgins finished 10th overall in receiving yards per game, Eisen suggests that the Bengals did make the right move. Now in possession of the best receiving dyad in the league, the veteran analyst believes that Cincinnati could be primed to take the AFC North thrown.
“Maybe that team just starts blowing the doors off of people and they don’t start 0-3 and they start 3-0 and work from that base. See how the Ravens can keep up or how the Steelers can keep up with whoever the hell is throwing to DK Metcalf, and good luck to the Browns with figuring out what they are going to do,” explained Eisen.
While the move does limit the team’s options for patching together its defensive unit, the Bengals should ultimately be thrilled about maintaining their ability to boat race any given team on any given Sunday.
Chase and Higgins’ react following their extensions
Following their official signings, Chase and Higgins hosted a joint press conference in Cincinnati’s facility. Despite finalizing a deal that made him the highest paid non-QB in NFL history, the LSU phenom admitted that:
“It still hasn’t hit me yet. So, right now, I’m still living in the moment and just enjoying the process of everything.”
While an extension was never in doubt for the WR1, Higgins was forced to endure a more tumultuous route before securing a payday of his own. Upon being asked if there was ever a moment in which he believed the deal could fall through, the 26-year-old confessed that there were “a lot of moments.”
Nevertheless, Higgins remained confident in his agent and the Bengals’ front office.
“I never had any doubt that Rocky was going to get it done and I never had any doubt that Katie was going to finally say ‘We want you.’ Just glad it happened and I’m happy to be here,” he summed up.
Believing that their quarterback’s willingness to vouch for them “played a big factor” in the negotiation process, the sure-handed duo will now attempt to return the favor by guiding Cincinnati back to the playoffs after missing out on the 2024 postseason.
