Since late last season, we’ve written endlessly about how Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins changed agents, hinting at a change in negotiating stance with the team for his contract extension.
As it turns out, changing to the same representation as teammate Ja’Marr Chase was partially a huge leverage play.
Now both Chase and Higgins have NFL-altering contract extensions.
According to the 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov, Higgins’ agent told the Bengals something quite simple: No Higgins extension, no Chase deal.
The report:
“In a savvy leverage move, Tee Higgins switched agents a few months ago, hiring Rocky Arcenaux—the same agent as Ja’Marr Chase. Knowing the #Bengals wanted to keep Chase and that Joe Burrow wanted Higgins to stay, Arcenaux told the team: no Ja’Marr deal without Tee.”
Of course, the Bengals were motivated to get the deals done to keep Joe Burrow happy. But the front office could’ve kept playing hardball and flirted with holdouts, using leverage like franchise tags for a few more years.
Instead, the Bengals were backed into a corner and forced out of their comfort zone, going up to $161 million for Chase and even guaranteeing the second year of Higgins’ four-year extension after loathing guarantees beyond Year 1 for the franchise’s entire existence.
A masterful gambit by the Bengals stars around Burrow, who are now in town through 2029, at least.
