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Ben Child
When the Cincinnati Bengals begin coaching camp subsequent week, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins will carry a novel distinction because the highest-paid receiver tandem within the NFL.
Each signed new offers on the identical day this offseason, value a complete of $276 million. Chase inked a four-year, $161 million contract; Higgins netted a four-year, $115 million deal.
Naturally, that raises the expectations for them forward of a important 2025 season for the crew. And displaying that Chase and Higgins are the highest wideout pairing within the league is on the listing of issues to perform this yr.
“I am fairly positive that is the massive factor Cincinnati needs us to do, too,” Chase informed ESPN this week. “And never simply Cincinnati, the followers and everybody round. You bought to show ourselves another time.”
The fortunes of Chase and Higgins have flipped over the previous 12 months. This time final yr, every participant sought a brand new long-term deal that required a major amount of money from the Bengals. Chase responded by main the NFL in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, making him the fifth participant for the reason that AFL-NFL merger to win the receiving triple crown. Higgins battled accidents for the second straight yr however nonetheless completed tenth in receiving yards per sport.
After each gamers signed their respective offers and took part in offseason exercises, every continued his joint prep work for Cincinnati’s upcoming season. Chase and Higgins had been a part of a non-public broad receiver exercise that occurred earlier this month. Chase mentioned it was a gaggle of round 12 gamers organized and led by former Bengals star Chad Johnson.
That exercise highlighted their rising bond, as effectively. For the reason that Bengals drafted Chase in 2021, one yr after they chose Higgins, the 2 have performed large roles in turning the crew right into a winner.
“I feel it has been an excellent journey,” mentioned Chase, whose feedback had been a part of a advertising and marketing tour with Common Mills and the corporate’s Fortunate Charms cereal model. “I do know Tee’s been on a distinct journey than I’ve, with (the) two completely different boats we have been in. However we simply principally added our boats collectively now, simply studying from one another, constructing with one another.”
If the Bengals can maximize Chase and Higgins’ potential, it may assist them snap a two-year postseason drought. Final season, Cincinnati went 9-8 and wasn’t capable of capitalize on All-Professional seasons from Chase and defensive finish Trey Hendrickson and an MVP-caliber yr from quarterback Joe Burrow. In 2021, Chase’s rookie season, the Bengals received their first playoff sport in 31 seasons and went to the Tremendous Bowl. The next yr, Cincinnati misplaced to Kansas Metropolis in a rematch of the earlier yr’s AFC Championship Sport.
As a lot as Chase needs to show why he and Higgins are definitely worth the funding, he additionally needs to deliver the Bengals again to the highest of the convention and have one other probability at successful the franchise’s first Tremendous Bowl.
“We will not dwell on what we did in 2021 and 2022,” Chase mentioned. “So like I mentioned, we have now to point out it another time and simply show ourselves.”
