The Cincinnati Bengals are expected to use the franchise tag on wideout Tee Higgins to try and keep their offensive trio of Higgins, Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase intact. However, the situation could g

Up to this point, the Cincinnati Bengals have failed to secure three of their top players on long-term contracts, with Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson all angling for new deals. Behind closed doors, however, the Bengals intend to sign all three during the 2025 offseason, according to ESPN.

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A Chase extension could indeed be friendly in Year 1, depending on the structure. That could, in turn, give the Bengals wiggle room to frontload another deal and/or pay out big for Higgins and/or Hendrickson, if not both, offsetting the big spike on Chase’s cap hits after 2025.

Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is likely to become the league's highest-paid player at the position. So, what does that mean for Cincinnati?

After failing to come to a new deal with the Bengals last fall, Ja'Marr Chase could become the NFL's first $40 million WR in 2025.

Per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Bengals are expected to franchise-tag wide receiver Tee Higgins before the window closes on March 4 at 4 p.m. ET. After tagging Higgins, the Bengals would have until July 15 to sign the 26-year-old to a long-term deal.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports that the Bengals will attempt to sign three key players to long-term deals: receiver Ja’Marr Chase, receiver Tee Higgins, and defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Trying and doing are two different things, of course. Last year, they tried to sign Chase. And while the dollars made sense, the structure did not.