Ja’Marr Chase has been a staple in the Bengals offense since debuting in 2021, and Cincinnati will keep him put for the foreseeable future.
Cincinnati is making Chase the highest-paid non-QB in the league, handing out a massive four-year worth $161 million. It breaks the previous mark set by Myles Garrett earlier this offseason.
The Bengals drafted Chase, now a 25-year-old wide receiver, out of LSU with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Cincinnati paired him alongside his former teammate at LSU, Joe Burrow. The duo won the College Football National Championship together at LSU in 2020.
Chase is fresh off a 2024 campaign that saw him lead the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, becoming the 13th player to win the NFL’s Triple Crown and only the sixth in the Super Bowl era.
Now, the pair will continue to be the forefront of the Bengals offense — and look to bring home a Super Bowl title — as each enter their fourth and fifth respective seasons.
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Ja’Marr Chase contract details
- Team: Bengals
- Years: 4
- Value: $161 million
Chase inked a four-year, $161 million contract extension that’ll keep him with the Bengals until 2029. The extension kicks in during the 2026 season.
The new deal makes Chase not only the highest-paid wide receiver, but the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. Jefferson was the highest-paid pass-catcher on the market when he inked a four-year, $140 million extension with the Vikings in June.
Cowboys standout CeeDee Lamb isn’t too far behind him, racking up $136 million over four years with Dallas ahead of the 2024 season. Tyreek Hill was previously the highest paid wideout when he signed a four-year, $120 million contract with the Miami Dolphins.
Below is a look at the NFL’s highest-paid WRs in AAV, per OverTheCap.com.
| Rank | Player | Team | AAV |
| 1 | Justin Jefferson | Vikings | $35 million |
| 2 | CeeDee Lamb | Cowboys | $34 million |
| 3 | A.J. Brown | Eagles | $32 million |
| 4 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | Lions | $30.0025 million |
| 5 | Tyreek Hill | Dolphins | $30 million |
| Brandon Aiyuk | 49ers | $30 million | |
| 7 | Jaylen Waddle | Dolphins | $28.25 million |
| 8 | Davante Adams | Raiders | $28 million |
| 9 | D.J. Moore | Bears | $27.5 million |
| 10 | Cooper Kupp | Rams | $26.7 million |
Chase is still set to make $21.8 million on his rookie contract’s fifth year option, per Spotrac.
Another interesting wrinkle for Chase’s payday is that throughout the process he was adamant about his teammate Tee Higgins also getting paid. Higgins decided to hire Chase’s agent this offseason so that they could work on both deals. Now that the deals are done, Chase and Higgins are both under contract for the next four years. Both players also confirmed the signing on X/Twitter by posting/tweeting the same handshake emoji.
🤝 https://t.co/oWWKo1Gymw
— Ja’MarrChase (@Real10jayy__) March 17, 2025
Ja’Marr Chase stats
The Bengals reunited a dominant college duo while simultaneously creating one of the top quarterback-wide receiver duos in the NFL.
The comfortability of playing alongside Burrow certainly helped Chase settle into the pros swiftly. He caught 13 touchdowns on 81 receptions and 1,455 yards as a rookie.
Chase reached 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first four seasons, even in 2022 when he played just 12 games. He’s also racked up 46 receiving touchdowns.
Chase is coming off a 2024 season that saw him win the receiving “Triple Crown”, leading the NFL in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (1,708)
| Year | Games | Catches | Yards | TDs |
| 2021 | 17 | 81 | 1,455 | 13 |
| 2022 | 12 | 87 | 1,046 | 9 |
| 2023 | 16 | 100 | 1,216 | 7 |
| 2024 | 17 | 127 | 1,708 | 17 |
| Career | 62 | 395 | 5,425 | 46 |
