The Bengals made a rare contract exception for Chase -- and Tee Higgins -- by giving both traditional salary guarantees

Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals said Tuesday afternoon he loves the town he plays in because he can concentrate on football and not get distracted, but added the food could be a little better.

Chase was always going to go up over $40 million per year after the team missed a chance to get him around the $35 million per-year mark last summer. Higgins could've generated around $30 million in free agency, while the tag gave him a lump sum of $26 million, so around $28 million would be an interesting compromise.