NFL Confidential: Inside Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins' leverage play with the Bengals

Jordan Schultz

NFL Insider

The Cincinnati Bengals sent shockwaves through the NFL over the weekend by reaching historic terms with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The fellow star wide receivers had achieved something unprecedented within an organization long known for its frugality. My latest column pulls back the curtain on how it happened.

Package Deal

Both contracts are guaranteed through at least two years — a rarity for Cincinnati, previously done only for Joe Burrow — with Chase’s deal including guarantees into his fourth year. It was a negotiating masterclass by agent Rocky Arceneaux, who represents both players.

“As great as those two guys are, I never thought those deals would get done — certainly not at those numbers,” a former NFL general manager told FOX Sports. “It’s not who the Bengals are; it goes against every fiber of their organizational DNA.