Bengals WR Tee Higgins reacts after getting $115,000,000 contract extension 

The Cincinnati Bengals have extended their two wide receivers with historic long-term contracts. And one of them cannot be any happier about it after two straight offseasons mired in doubt and uncertainty.

On Sunday, Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz reported that the Bengals were giving Tee Higgins a four-year, $115 million contract extension, the biggest for a WR2 and the first nine-figure contract of his career.

It comes with a historic extension for his teammate Ja'Marr Chase, who will become the league's highest-paid non-quarterback with a $161 million deal over four years.

In response, an elated Higgins posted a handshake emoji on his social media account.

The move ends uncertainties about his future. He had been franchise-tagged for the second straight time nearly two weeks ago as the Bengals pondered how to resolve his and Chase's contract situations, especially after giving Mike Gesicki a three-year, $25.5-million extension just over a week ago.

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Bengals also looking to secure Trey Hendrickson's future after historic Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase extensions

With the aforementioned extensions, the Bengals have quite possibly one of the best non-lineman starting offensive cores in the league: Joe Burrow at quarterback, Chase Brown at running back, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the X and Z receiver, Mike Gesicki at the Y/slot, and Drew Sample in-line as an extra run blocker.

But there is still one problem that deserves a solution: the future of star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. Just some days ago, he had received permission to seek a trade; but ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Sunday’s episode of SportsCenter that both sides had resumed extension talks.

However, there was a “complicated” catch:

"Hendrickson does want well above $30 million per year… It looks like their priorities are those two receivers and that makes it tough for Hendrickson. So he's certainly open to a trade at this point. I'm hearing the Bengals have not been overly eager to accept those trade calls and they've gotten them to look into it and really seriously entertain a trade here.”

Should a trade become a real possibility, then there is one obvious destination for Fowler - the Indianapolis Colts just southeast on I-74. They just lost starter Dayo Odeyingbo to the Chicago Bears, opening up a spot beside Kwity Paye.

Hendrickson also has multiple ties with the Colts’ coaching staff. Besides being with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo in Cincinnati, he also played under current defensive line coach Charlie Partridge at his alma mater Florida Atlantic.