Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins Nov 17, 2024; Inglewood, CA, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers Tee Higgins (5) and Ja’Marr Chase (1) celebrate a Higgins touchdown in the third quarter of the against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Greene/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
ArticlesNFLBy Robert O'Neill on

Over the past five years, the Cincinnati Bengals have had one of the NFL’s most exciting and explosive offenses.

The Bengals have finished in the top third of the league in offensive yards per game three times in that span. The two outlying seasons featured quarterback Joe Burrow missing significant time with injuries.

As long as the Bengals have Burrow, along with wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, they’ll have a chance to compete.

Cincinnati’s decision to secure Chase and Higgins on long-term deals seemed inevitable; Sunday night, they did just that.

Fox’s Jordan Schultz reported that the Bengals reached agreements with Chase and Higgins on massive contract extensions.

People were interested in these podcasts
Discover more podcasts →
Play Episode
65min
The Play-By-Play
Sports media election talk, Joel Embiid shoves reporter, Bob Costas retires
Election Day was yesterday. Sports media talking heads were all over that. Joel Embiid is suspended three games for shoving Marcus Hayes. Bob Costas is retiring from play-by-play. Awful Announcing's Ben Axelrod and Brendon Kleen discuss these topics and more, including why Election Night cable TV news sucked on the latest episode of The Play-By-Play.Time Stamps:-2:22: Election talk in sports media-15:27: Current sports figure who could enter politics?-17:38: Current sports media figure who could enter politics?-21:38: Joel Embiid shoves Marcus Hayes-43:04: Bob Costas retiring from play-by-play-52:50: Most recognizable non-QB currently in the NFL not named Travis Kelce?-58:02: Election Night TV coverage sucksYou can subscribe to The Play-By-Play wherever podcasts are found. Please subscribe, rate and review!Download The Play-By-Play:Listen on AppleListen on SpotifyAwful Announcing on XAwful Announcing on FacebookAwful Announcing on InstagramAwful Announcing on ThreadsAwful Announcing on BlueSkyAwful Announcing on LinkedIn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Play-By-Play
The Play-By-Play Live: Adrian Wojnarowski retires
Adrian Wojnarowski make the shocking decision to retire as ESPN's NBA insider to become GM of the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team. Awful Announcing's Brendon Kleen and Ben Axelrod discuss the ultimate Woj bomb and what the future may hold for other NBA insiders on this live bonus episode of The Play-By-Play.You can subscribe to The Play-By-Play wherever podcasts are found. Please subscribe, rate and review!Download The Play-By-Play:Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-play-by-play/id1763654809Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4HaEA8ssc7LpPoJ8pKT1hkAwful Announcing on X: https://twitter.com/awfulannouncingAwful Announcing on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awfulannouncingAwful Announcing on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awful_announcing/Awful Announcing on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@awful_announcingAwful Announcing on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/awfulannouncing.bsky.socialAwful Announcing on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/awfulannouncing/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Play-By-Play
Tom Brady's best broadcast, Bill Simmons and Spotify, Barstool departures
Tom Brady rose to the occasion during the Commanders-Lions game. Bill Simmons is reportedly likely sticking with Spotify. Amazon hires Kevin Harlan for their NBA coverage. Awful Announcing's Ben Axelrod and Brendon Kleen discuss these topics and more, including "Bussin' With The Boys" leaving Barstool Sports on the latest episode of The Play-By-Play.Time Stamps:-:36: Ohio State winning national championship-1:51: Commanders-Lions review, Tom Brady’s best(?) game so far-15:51: NFL broadcaster #1 booth power rankings-23:47: Bill Simmons likely renewing with Spotify-40:19: Bill Simmons subreddit-42:14: Amazon hiring Kevin Harlan as #2 NBA play-by-play-51:24: Hot Mics-51:41: “Bussin’ With The Boys” and Grace O’Malley leaving Barstool-58:16: Ohio State guiltYou can subscribe to The Play-By-Play wherever podcasts are found. Please subscribe, rate and review!Download The Play-By-Play:Listen on AppleListen on SpotifyAwful Announcing on XAwful Announcing on FacebookAwful Announcing on InstagramAwful Announcing on ThreadsAwful Announcing on BlueSkyAwful Announcing on LinkedIn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Play-By-Play
NBA All-Star Game panned, NHL 4 Nations Face-Off praised
The NBA and NHL made changes to their All-Star Game format. One worked, one didn't. More podcasts are becoming TV programming. Will the trend continue? Awful Announcing's Ben Axelrod, Brendon Kleen, and Drew Lerner discuss these topics and more, including Caitlin Clark's agent speaking out on the WNBA on the latest episode of The Play-By-Play.Time Stamps:-1:30: Are All-Star Games fixable? -13:35: NHL 4 Nations Face-Off-21:30: Podcasts as TV programming-36:52: RSN’s-52:09: MLS/Apple restricts Fox to two Inter Miami games/season-56:10: Bela Bajaria talking Netflix and NFL on “The Town”-59:41: Caitlin Clark’s agent saying WNBA should split from NBAYou can subscribe to The Play-By-Play wherever podcasts are found. Please subscribe, rate and review!Download The Play-By-Play:Listen on AppleListen on SpotifyAwful Announcing on XAwful Announcing on FacebookAwful Announcing on InstagramAwful Announcing on ThreadsAwful Announcing on BlueSkyAwful Announcing on LinkedIn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Schultz notes, Chase’s four-year, $161 million contract has an eye-popping $112 million guaranteed. This makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

Higgins’ deal, meanwhile, could see the Clemson alum take home $115 million over the next four years. However, only the first two years are guaranteed.

Chase is one of the NFL’s best wide receivers and has been since the Bengals drafted him with the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Chase has racked up 5,425 receiving yards in four seasons and 46 touchdowns. He led the NFL in both categories last season, setting Bengals franchise records with 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has made four Pro Bowls in his four-year career and has been named a First Team All-Pro twice.

Higgins is one of the league’s most feared second wide receivers. He’s racked up 4,595 yards and 34 touchdowns in his five seasons. While he doesn’t have Chase’s accolades, Higgins excels at taking pressure off Chase and giving Burrow another weapon in the offense.

 

 

About Robert O'Neill

View all posts by Robert O'Neill