Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase Talks Tee Higgins Signing With His Agent, What It Means For Their Chances To Stay Together

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are teammates in more ways than one now.

And Chase likes the possibilities of that continuing beyond 2024.

Higgins parted ways with agent David Mulugheta a couple of weeks ago and signed with Rocky Arceneaux, who has represented Chase since he entered the league.

"I just told him 'we stuck for life now,'" Chase said.

Does that mean there’s a chance Higgins, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, and Arceneaux can work out a deal to keep the receiver in Cincinnati at the same time Arceneaux is working on keeping Chase with the Bengals and possibly the highest paid non-quarterback in the league.

“There's a possible chance, yeah,” Chase said.

But does this increase that chance.

“There's a possible chance,” he repeated.

Higgins declined an interview request Thursday, saying he didn't want to talk on a day when he didn't practice after he sat out with NIR-rest and knee injury designations.

As happy as he is to have Higgins on Arceneaux’s roster with him, Chase said he didn’t get involved with the decision.

“There really wasn't many conversations,” he said. “It's a business decision. I'm not gonna tell him what to do. This is what he wants to do at the end of the day.”

But if Higgins asked about Arceneaux the way reporters did Thursday, it certainly might have sounded like a sales pitch.

Chase had nothing but great things to say about his agent.

“All I could ask for,” he said. “That pretty much sums it up.”

Chase said he was looking for agent who could be a lot of things for him, and Arceneaux has been that.

“Someone I could relate to. Someone I could be comfortable around. Somebody that's willing to help me, teach me what's going on. Teach me the ropes. Let me know right from wrong. All of the above,” he said. “Discipline me, too. He does a good job just mentoring me on everything going on.”

Those things were especially important in September after Chase staged a hold-in during training camp and contract negotiations fell apart despite the two sides coming close to finalizing a deal to keep Chase in Cincinnati long term.

Arceneaux helped Chase focus on football.

“Everyone knows the first couple weeks wasn't the best for me coming back,” Chase said. “Tensions were high. But we all overcame it and excelled from the situation.”

Chase leads the league in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns and is just behind Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley in the betting odds for Offensive Player of the Year.

Over the last couple of weeks, Chase and Burrow have expressed confidence that the Bengals will be able to keep Higgins in stripes beyond this season.

“You gotta play chess,” Chase said of the financial maneuverings it will take.

But when the same person is controlling the pieces on both sides of the board, it certainly feels like more than “a possible chance” that the Bengals and the receivers can get something done to keep them paired with Burrow.

Obviously fixing the offense line and the defense are priorities as well, and those repairs won’t be cheap, nor will Burrow’s rising cap number.

So you can expect Arceneaux, Chase and Higgins to spend a lot of time together after the season to start coming up with a plan.

“In the offseason now, you're gonna see me on the regular,” Chase told Higgins.

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