Jason Kelce drops reality check on NFL's spending spree following Bengals' massive deals worth $276,000,000

The Cincinnati Bengals spending big to retain their star receivers is just the beginning in the NFL, according to former All-Pro center Jason Kelce. On Monday's episode of "New Heights," Kelce said:

"The salary cap keeps going up. I think people don't realize often how much the contracts continue to go up for players over time." (12:07)

On Tuesday, the Bengals re-signed the league's leading receiver last season, Ja'Marr Chase, to a four-year deal worth $161 million and extended Tee Higgins' contract for four years and $115 million, equalling $276 million for just two players on their roster. At $40.25 million per year, Chase is now the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.

"When I first got into the league, the league minimum was $375,000. That’s still a lot of money. Now it’s over $700,000," Kelce added.

"The average per year for the highest-paid centers, when I was getting my first deal done in my third year in the league, was like $6 million a year. Now the average of all the top centers is over 12 (million), so in 10 years it’s doubled. News flash, this is gonna get broken in another year or two."

In addition, the Bengals are also paying a hefty price for star quarterback Joe Burrow, who signed a five-year extension for $275 million in 2023, becoming the highest-paid player in the league with an annual salary of $55 million.

A year later, the Jaguars extended their former first overall pick, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, paying him $275 million for five years, equalling Burrow's annual salary.

Examining the NFL salary cap

Jason Kelce's assumption that the salary cap will continue to rise is an educated guess, given the league's history.

In fact, according to NFL Operations, the salary cap has gone up every year since 2011, with the exception being 2021, when it was at 182.5 million, down from 198.2 million in 2020.

That was probably because of COVID, where teams lost money as no fans were allowed at games in 2020.

There was no cap in 2010. In 2025, the cap is at $279.2 million, a jump of over $20 million from the 2024 cap, which came in at $255.4 million. Back in 1994, the cap was $34.6 million.