Bengals rumors: Ja'Marr Chase's contract may spell trouble for Tee Higgins, per insider

The Cincinnati Bengals have a problem at the wide receiver position. Cincinnati has to pay their two top wide receivers, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. As top players are seeking contract extensions before the start of the season, many players have decided to hold out for a new contract. Higgins and Chase are two of many players currently holding out on team activities.

Insider Maurice Moton wrote about teams that may hit the 'panic meter' during training camp holdouts. He wrote about several players that are due for contract extensions, including Chase and Higgins. While he said the team doesn't need to panic when it comes to Chase, the same isn't the case for Higgins' situation.

Moton writes:

" According to ESPN's Ben Baby, Cincinnati hasn't engaged in contract talks with the Clemson product in over a year. Without active negotiations and the team likely to pay Chase in the coming weeks, Higgins probably isn't going to get a new deal from the Bengals."

Chase will be entering the fourth season of his NFL career and has one more year left on his current contract after this season. Higgins was franchise-tagged by the team this off-season and hasn't picked up on contract talks. He is the only player of nine this off-season to not ink a long-term deal after being franchise-tagged.

The Bengals also drafted a potential replacement for Higgins in the third round of this year's draft when they drafted Alabama wide receiver, Jermaine Burton.

Can the Cincinnati Bengals afford to keep both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins?

By the time Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase ink contract extensions, they will very likely become two of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL. The question is, can the Bengals afford to keep both?

The answer is yes; it just depends on how they want to allocate their money. There's been a new trend where teams with two really good wide receivers are now paying their top two receivers at least $20 million per season.

After the Miami Dolphins recently extended wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, paying him $84 million for three seasons, there are now five teams in the NFL that pay two receivers at least $20 million per season.

Chase will likely break the bank and become a top-three highest-paid wide receiver upon signing his deal, while Higgins will sign a smaller contract but will likely still be a top-10 highest-paid receiver.

The only question remains: will the Bengals be committing to spending that much money on wide receivers?