Burrow, Higgins & Chase Hoping To Keep All Three With Bengals

Ian Rapoport reports that QB Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are hoping that tonight’s game against the Steelers isn’t their last together in Cincinnati and have discussed playing together for years to come.

Burrow rarely speaks out but made his opinion clear on the matter while recently speaking to reporters.

“You don’t want to make a living out of letting great players leave the building,” Burrow told reporters. “And I think that’s why you gotta do everything you can to get those deals done early.”

Burrow had previously told reporters that he’s “confident” that the team will be able to figure out a way to re-sign Higgins this offseason. 

“Those discussions are ongoing,” Burrow said, per Paul Dehner Jr. “I am confident we are going to be able to do what it takes to bring Tee back. That I’m going to do what it takes to get him back and so is he. We’ve had those talks. Those are going to be offseason discussions but I think we are excited about that opportunity.”

The Bengals find themselves in a challenging situation, as Chase is in the final year of his rookie deal and is due for a record contract after having the best season of any wide receiver in 2024. Beyond that, they need help on the defensive side of the ball and Higgins is easily the best available free agent next year. 

Last offseason, Higgins requested a trade and eventually received the franchise tag after the two sides were unable to reach a deal, partly due to the four-year, $120 million deal that the 49ers signed with WR Brandon Aiyuk.

“I grew a love for this city for sure,” Higgins recently told reporters, “And I grew a love for this team and these coaches, yeah, I’m not ruling it out.”

Meanwhile, Chase could end up signing a deal that is at the top of the market for a wide receiver at around $35 million per year.

Higgins, 25, is a former second-round pick by the Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Clemson. He finished the final year of a four-year, $8,686,785 rookie contract and made a base salary of $2,993,000 in 2023. 

He was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2024 when the Bengals placed the franchise tag on him, which cost the team around $21.8 million fully guaranteed for the 2024 season. 

In 2024, Higgins has appeared in 11 games for the Bengals and recorded 69 receptions for 858 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns. 

We have him included in our Top 100 2025 NFL Free Agents list. 

Chase, 24, was a two-year starter at LSU and a unanimous All-American during his sophomore season. He opted out of the 2020 college football season due to the pandemic. The Bengals took Chase with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. 

Chase is in the fourth year of a four-year, $30,819,642 contract with the Bengals that included a $19,774,285 signing bonus. The Bengals picked up a fifth-year option on him worth $21.816 million fully guaranteed for the 2025 season. 

In 2024, Chase has appeared in 16 games for the Bengals and caught 117 passes for 1,612 yards and 16 touchdowns. 

We’ll have more on the Bengals situation as the news is available.