The Cincinnati Bengals no longer have the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. Ja'Marr Chase had that title taken from him by the Seattle Seahawks and former Ohio State wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who recently set the new high-water mark.
JSN’s new contract means Chase and the Bengals take a backseat to the Seahawks in several categories involving wide receiver pay. It also comes earlier than we were expecting, while acknowledging that Chase's time at the top was under threat.
As a result, what was once a controversial, overly-paid WR room is now, officially, one of the best bargains in the NFL. And the national media can return to doing what they do best, calling the Bengals cheap.
Well, that escalated quickly
As reported by Adam Schefter, JSN signed a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension with the Seahawks. His $42.15 million-per-year average is the new benchmark for the position. His $120 million guarantees also set a new record for the position group.
ESPN Sources: Offensive Player of the Year and Super-Bowl champion Jaxon Smith-Njigba reached agreement with the Seattle Seahawks on a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension that now makes him the highest-paid WR in NFL history.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 23, 2026
The deal averages $42.15 million per year,… pic.twitter.com/WFBtZqE4L2
It is a well-deserved extension after yet another incredible season in only his third year in the league. In which he recorded 119 receptions and 10 touchdowns.
His 1793 receiving yards led the NFL in 2025.
In 2024, the year before Chase signed his extension, the Bengals star led the league in receptions (127), yards (1,708), yards per game (100.5), and touchdowns (17). Chase outpaced Smith-Njigba in every category except for yards.
Nevertheless, while Chase had the better individual season before signing his record-breaking contract, Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks one-upped the Bengals by winning the Super Bowl, making JSN’s contract worth the added value.
And just like that, after resetting the market just one year ago, JSN reestablished the new going rate.
Bengals no longer own the NFL’s priciest WR room
With the extension of JSN, the Bengals no longer have the most expensive position group in the league.
Spotrac notes that the Seahawks sit atop wide receiver spending at $83 million per year, followed by the Bengals at $77 million.
Rashid Shaheed’s recently inked contract now puts him and JSN in the same company as all the other well-compensated WR duos.
#Seahawks Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed are the 3rd highest paid WR duos based on AAV:#Bengals Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins: $68.9M#Cowboys CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens: 61.2M
— HawkMania (@hawkmania4) March 24, 2026
Seattle: Jaxon Smith and Rashid Shaheed: $59.1M#Eagles A.J. Brown and Devonte Smith: $57M…
Ja’Marr Chase's market change better in one aspect
JSN might be the current holder of the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL title, at least for now. However, his new contract does not carry the prestige that came with the chase when he signed his extension last off-season.
When Chase signed his four-year, $161 million extension, not only was it the highest for a wide receiver, but it was the highest contract for any player in the NFL, non-quarterback division.
JSN might have been able to pull that off if he were willing to play the game of winning a year to sign his extension. However, he chose the bird-in-hand approach, taking the contract today and not leaving anything to chance in the 2026 season.
Seahawks didn’t play games like the Bengals did, and do
In providing JSN with a new extension, the Seahawks did not make him wait as Cincinnati's front office did with both Chase and Tee Higgins.
With Chase, the team forced him to play his fourth season on his rookie deal. "Forced" might be somewhat of a stronger word, considering that, leading up to the first regular season game of the 2024 season, Chase wasn't sure if he would suit up or not.
Despite the contract dispute in the offseason and the uncertainty of whether he was going to continue his holdout into this season or not, Chase decided to bet on himself, and he won big, leading the NFL in receptions, yards, and touchdowns.
Unlike the C-suite in Cincinnati, the Seahawks wasted no time and played no games when it came to locking up their star receiver for the long term.
Perhaps we will see the Bengals act sooner when identifying players they want to keep. However, as we saw with Chase and Higgins, and are now witnessing with DJ Turner and Chase Brown, among others, we won’t count on Cincinnati taking action before they absolutely feel like they have to, unlike Seattle.
And just like that, the Bengals can be ‘cheap’ again
One reason the Bengals organization draws so much national criticism is that it takes so long to sign its stars to long-term extensions.
Seattle signing JSN to such a lucrative extension after only three years in the league, while Cincinnati made Burrow and Chase wait four years, is another reminder of that.
However, after making Burrow the highest-paid player ever, followed by a subsequent offseason in which the team gave Chase the biggest contract ever for a non-quarterback, the national media have not had much of a leg to stand on when it comes to calling the Bengals cheap. Other than the veiled attacks on not being able to afford a decent defense, which has more to do with talent evaluation than dollars spent.
Alas, with the JSN extension, the good news for the coast-to-coast talking heads is that they can return to calling the Bengals cheap for no longer having the highest-paid player at any position in the NFL.
All is right with the world, again.