NFL agent claims the Bengals just opened their version of Pandora's box after signing Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins
Rocky Arceneaux is a name that will always bring a smile to the faces of Cincinnati Bengals fans. The agent that successfully negotiated new contracts for Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins was the driving force behind Joe Burrow getting exactly what he wanted.He also changed how the Bengals do business, potentially for good.Arceneaux revealed to […]
Rocky Arceneaux is a name that will always bring a smile to the faces of Cincinnati Bengals fans. The agent that successfully negotiated new contracts for Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins was the driving force behind Joe Burrow getting exactly what he wanted.
He also changed how the Bengals do business, potentially for good.
Arceneaux revealed to Cincinnati.com's Kelsey Conway that including a fully guaranteed second year in Higgins' contract was a requirement he made for the Bengals. Chase's deal has guarantees in all four years of his deal, but Chase had significantly more leverage as an All-Pro and triple crown winner. It was expected for the front office to make those concessions for him.
Higgins specifically receiving a future guaranteed salary is monumental for Cincinnati, and Arceneaux knows it.
"Kudos to the Bengals for seeing it and breaking their precedent," Arceneaux told Conway Tuesday. "I'm sure that was tough. And, you know, I'm sure every player from now on is going to want this. But, yeah, that's a part of it."
Those final two sentences say it all. Other players of Higgins' caliber are going to take notice of the contract Arceneaux was able to get him. Current Bengals who are looking to be rewarded by the team in future years, or future free agents who have interest in playing with Burrow will have their agents push for future guarantees now that they know it's an option.
The question is simple: Will it actually be an option?
Bengals need to figure out how to handle guaranteed money going forward
For as long as free agency has been around, the Bengals have done the absolute most to avoid guaranteeing any money beyond the first year of contracts. They've handed out large signing bonuses to the likes of A.J. Green and Orlando Brown Jr. and are generally comfortable agreeing to large year one cash payments, which inflates the year one cap hit as a consequence. They've included hefty roster bonuses that trigger quickly in the second year as a compromise instead of promising the base salary for that year will be paid in full.
Odds are they will continue to utilize these strategies for the majority of players they're targeting, but they should know they'll have to continue making exceptions.
Trey Hendrickson is the perfect example. If both sides are working to agree on a multi-year extension, there's no reason why the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year runner-up should not ask for guaranteed money beyond the first year. Hendrickson, despite being 30 years old, is the exact kind of player you reward in this manner.
They didn't include guaranteed money in each of the last two deals they got him to sign, but they didn't do that with anyone in franchise history either. Things change. Burrow himself is the catalyst for that.
This is truly a new world we're entering for the Bengals. They've been unable to pursue certain kinds of players for decades because of their unwillingness to cross this bridge. Did they just do it to make sure Chase and Higgins would stay, or is it a sign of what's to come?
Arceneaux's claim will be one to look back on no matter what direction Cincinnati takes from here. The only thing for certain is there's no going back now.
Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins’ special bond is something the rest of the NFL world can’t seem to grasp
Two best buds playing football together. What’s not to love?
