Former LSU football star Ja’Marr Chase made history by signing an extension with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Chase’s signed a four-year, $161 million deal with $112 million guaranteed. That’s an average of $40.25 million per season, a record annual salary for a non-quarterback. Chase will surpass the previous record wide receiver contract, held by Chase’s former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson.
Jefferson’s deal pays $35 million per year on average.
Chase caught 127 passes for 1,708 yards in 2024 — both marks led the NFL as Chase earned All-Pro honors and finished top 10 in MVP voting. In four years with the Bengals, Chase already has 395 catches for 5,425 yards and 46 touchdowns. He’s made the Pro Bowl in all four of his NFL seasons.
Chase was a five-star recruit and signed with LSU in 2018. He was the top receiver in the country in 2019 as a member of LSU’s historic national championship-winning offense. As COVID impacted the 2020 season, Chase opted out of his junior year and began preparing for the NFL Draft, where he was a top-five pick.
In Cincinnati, Chase was reunited with his college quarterback Joe Burrow. Both are locked in as Bengals for the foreseeable future.
Superstars like Chase seldom hit the open market in the NFL, and there was little doubt about a deal getting done. Chase wasn’t the only Bengals’ receiver to ink an extension, with Tee Higgins putting pen to paper, too.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Ex-LSU football star Ja’Marr Chase signs record-setting NFL contract