AFC Notes: Ja’Marr Chase, Cameron Heyward, Bengals, Browns, Steelers

Bengals 

Bengals WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins share the same agent, Rocky Arceneaux, who negotiated extensions for both clients. He explains things started coming together after the NFL Combine.

“It was a little different. Prior to the combine, I didn’t feel like there was a chance in hell to get both of them to stay in Cincinnati,” Arceneaux said, via Kelsey Conway. “And after the combine, obviously after they had tagged Tee, we had some opportunities to talk to other teams and try to position Tee in the best-case scenario for him with his career going forward. And we later learned that the Bengals were declining conversations about compensation for Tee. And that’s when I realized that they were more inclined to reward him instead of trading him. So, at that point, I think the structure and the tone of the negotiations took a turn for the better.”

Arceneaux initially expected the Bengals to trade Higgins before the combine, but it became clear they were more inclined to sign him to an extension. 

“Well, prior to the combine, we talked about the franchise tag and what impact it could potentially have on Tee. And when they decided to tag him, I had assumed, because we had talked about it prior to the tag with the intent of trading. So we proceeded along those lines, and once the process started, it became clear and evident that the Bengals, like I say, it was more inclined to pay him rather than trade him.”

Arceneaux began negotiating a long-term extension for Chase last year, but talks stretched into 2025. The agent mentioned how both he and Chase felt it was best to let things play out the way they did. 

“Last year, it was very different because he obviously had two years left on his contract. So, I think the negotiations were at a point where both sides needed to feel like they were doing something that benefited the other side, and I think at that point it was just some inequities there. And I think the Bengals felt like they were doing us a big favor and we were doing them. And I think that’s where I wouldn’t say a lack of communication, but we just had different core philosophies on what was on the bill. And also, you know, Ja’Marr and I decided that it would be in our best interest to play it out, and it worked out.”

• The Bengals signed Chase to a four-year, $161 million contract extension with $109.8 million guaranteed, of which $73.8 million is fully guaranteed at signing. The new contract guarantee is $90.18 million. Chase received $32 million in 2025 roster bonuses, and his 2025 salary, per-game bonuses, and workouts are fully guaranteed.
• In 2026, his base salary and a $15 million option bonus are fully guaranteed. If on the roster on the 5th day of the 2026 league year, $1.1 million of his 2026 salary and his $30 million in 2027 compensation will also be guaranteed. If on the roster on the 5th day of the 2027 league year, Chase will earn a $7 million guarantee on his 2028 salary.
• The contract includes annual per-game bonuses of $1 million and up to $1.25 million in incentives. (OTC)
• The Bengals signed Higgins to a four-year, $115 million contract with $40.9 million guaranteed, of which $30 million is guaranteed at signing. (OTC)
• Oklahoma State LB Nick Martin has an official visit scheduled with the Bengals. (Ryan Fowler)
• Oregon OT Josh Conerly has seven official 30 visits scheduled, including with the Bengals. (James Crepea)

Browns

• Per Aaron Wilson, the Browns hosted Oklahoma State LB Nick Martin for a visit. 
• Minnesota DL Danny Strigow met with the Browns at his pro day. (Tony Pauline)

Steelers

Steelers DL Cameron Heyward is going on year fifteen with the team and has been more vocal about the team’s need to return to title contention instead of being content just reaching the postseason.

“I think we’re in a state of urgency,” Heyward said on The Rich Eisen Show. “We have a lot of guys that, like myself, are in the latter stages of their career. We all want to win. It’s not just enough to win a playoff game, which we haven’t won in a couple of years, and there’s a bad taste in our mouth because of that. Urgency to do it before we have multiple guys that hang it up. You have a guy like T.J. Watt. You don’t just get a T.J. Watt and you sit on that T.J. Watt, you make sure you maximize those opportunities to win at a high level. And with Minkah Fitzpatrick—All-Pro guys that are soon to be Hall of Famers that we have so much respect for. We’ve got to win now. It’s not enough to look toward the future and say, ‘Oh, two or three years out we could be very good.’ Two or three years out we could be a totally different team, so we’ve got to make the most of this right now.”

Heyward also clarified he was never taking a shot at QB Aaron Rodgers after making a recent media appearance and saying he would not be recruiting the veteran quarterback to the team.  

“It’s funny. Everybody gave me crap,” Heyward told Eisen. “They said I called him out. I don’t think I really called him out. I just said I was not going to go on a darkness retreat to recruit him. That if he wants to be a Steeler, he can be a Steeler. That’s the pitch. I don’t know why everybody thought, ‘Oh, Cam’s really going at him.’ Some fans felt like, ‘Oh yeah, keep doing that,’ and the other fans felt like, ‘Oh, man, you’re really gonna scare him off.’ I’m not scaring anybody off. I just want to win games and play good football.”

“There’s some poetic moves being played,” Heyward concluded. “The last Super Bowl he won was against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and now we kind of need him to come over here and win a Super Bowl. But the thing I love is it’s not going to just be one guy. There’s a multitude of guys that if he does come here, they’re only locked in on that. If you walk into our locker room, every guy in that room is focused on trying to win a Super Bowl. We don’t go a day, we don’t go a minute, without talking about it. There’s a level of accountability he brings and expects from guys around him. As a defender, we love that. We’ll see what happens.”