Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase Hints His Contract Extension Could Affect Tee Higgins’s Future

How quickly life can change in the NFL.

In 2021, the Cincinnati Bengals were one of the hottest young teams in sports—AFC champions set for years to come with a young core of quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Now, Burrow is hurt and Chase appears certain to receive a lucrative extension in the near future. Higgins—a 1,000-yard receiver in two of his four professional seasons—may be the odd man out, as he is due to hit free agency.

On Thursday, Chase expressed to reporters that his and Higgins’s future may be tied together.

Asked whether he wanted money upfront and guaranteed in the extension, he responded in the affirmative. A reporter then asked him whether he would take less money if it meant the Bengals could keep Higgins.

Ja’Marr Chase teases that he wants his money upfront and would love a deal done this offseason and wonders whether Tee Higgins might return with him. “It depends on how much I’m taking.” pic.twitter.com/vLyfEHTLBz

— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) January 4, 2024

"That's a good question," Chase said. "Who knows? It depends on how much I'm taking. It depends at the end of the day, because then I might not really be taking a cut. It might come from somewhere else."

Chase has caught a career-high 96 passes for 1,197 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Despite his best efforts, Cincinnati has been eliminated from playoff contention.