The Cincinnati Bengals finally got the job done. Cincinnati agreed to terms on long-term extensions for both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins late on Sunday night. Not only do these extensions guarantee the future of the Bengals, they also provide some immediate salary cap relief.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz explained how both Chase and Higgins will have lower cap hits in 2025 after signing extensions.
“By extending Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the #Bengals will actually lower both players’ cap hits for this season,” Schultz posted on social media. “Higgins’ cap number was over $26M, and Chase’s was over $21M – both will now decrease, giving Cincinnati more flexibility to continue building their roster.”
Before the extensions, Chase would have played on a $21-million fifth-year option for the 2025 season. Higgins would have played on $26 million franchise tag.
Both Chase and Higgins will likely have sizeable cap hits in 2025 and beyond, given the size of their deals. However, the Bengals likely structured the contracts in a way that moves most of the money into future seasons. As a result, Cincinnati is set to get some much-needed cap space that they can use to add more reinforcements on defense.
The Bengals had $26.87 million in available cap space before these extensions. Exact details on these contracts have not yet been released.
Will the Bengals extend Trey Hendrickson after locking up Chase and Higgins?
Now that Chase and Higgins are locked up, Trey Hendrickson could be the next Bengals player to receive an extension.
The Bengals and Hendrickson have been in contact recently about working on a new deal according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Hendrickson is one of the best players on the team and is more than deserving of a pay increase. He has emerged as one of the best pass rushers in the NFL after joining the Bengals in 2021. Hendrickson logged 17.5 sacks for the second consecutive season in 2024
Bengals QB Joe Burrow has been vocal about wanting Chase, Higgins, and Hendrickson to all receive extensions this offseason. Burrow specifically highlighted Hendrickson back in February as one player who is important to the future of the franchise.
Cincinnati has not been overly active during NFL free agency. They have only added two new players, DT T.J. Slaton and RB Samaje Perine, thus far during free agency.
The Bengals may attempt to get a Hendrickson extension done ASAP so they know how much money they can spend during the rest of this offseason.
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