Bengals Make Ja’Marr Chase Highest Paid Non-QB In NFL With $161 Million Deal

The Ja’Marr Chase contract saga is finally over. Late on Sunday night, the Cincinnati Bengals finalized looming extensions when they signed two of their wide receivers to new long term deals. Tee Higgins is now locked in for four more seasons, as is Chase, who becomes the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

Bengals Ink Chase To NFL Record Deal

Negotiations on an extension for Ja’Marr Chase have long been in the works. The former fifth overall pick has been one of the most productive wide receivers in the league in his early seasons, and has been playing under his rookie contract. Other players at the position were paid handsomely over the past couple of years, and Chase felt as though he was due a big payday himself.

It finally came on Sunday. Chase signed a four-year deal that ties him to Cincinnati through the 2029 season, with a value of $161 million, of which $112 million is guaranteed. It not only makes him the highest paid player at his position, but is the richest non-QB contract in the NFL.

Got PAID:

🟠 Ja’Marr Chase: Four years, $161 million
🟠 Tee Higgins: Four years, $115 million pic.twitter.com/9ACxgEXtze

— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) March 17, 2025

The value of the new deal for Ja’Marr Chase comes in at $40.25 million per season, which surpasses the mark set by Myles Garrett no more than a week prior. The Browns inked Garrett to a four-year extension that was worth $160 million, which was the largest non-QB deal at the time. It is actually the second time that the mark has been surpassed this off-season, as Maxx Crosby of the Raiders held the title for a week himself.

It can be argued that Chase is worth every penny. Despite his team’s struggles, he won the receiving triple crown this past season by leading the NFL in catches, yards, and touchdowns, and did so while carrying a cap hit of under $10 million. He is still just 25 years old, and makes up arguably the best quarterback-wide receiver duo in the league.

Higgins’ deal will pay him $115 million over the four years, which comes out to an annual average of $28.75 million. It makes him the 9th-highest paid wideout in the league, just behind the $30 million owed to Tyreek Hill and Brandon Aiyuk.