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Cameras Caught Joe Burrow's Overjoyed First Reaction to Extended Star WRs

Stephen Douglas

Joe Burrow hugs Ja’Marr Chase in the locker room.
Joe Burrow hugs Ja’Marr Chase in the locker room. / @Bengal
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Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins signed new contracts with the Cincinnati Bengals this week. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had put pressure on the team by publicly advocating for his top receivers to get new deals all offseason and they had no choice but to listen.

Chase got a four-year deal with up to $161 million with $112 million guaranteed while Higgins got a four-year deal worth up to $115 million. The deals were announced together.

Despite the fact that both guys were very happy with their new deals, no one was happier than Burrow who attended the Higgins and Chase press conference on Tuesday. The quarerback met his teammates in the locker room and greet them with big hugs, congratulating them on their new deals.

Burrow led the NFL in passing yards (4,918) and touchdown (43) passes last season. Chase accounted for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns while Higgins added 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in just 12 games. It's no wonder Burrow was so insistent they not only stick around, but get rewarded.

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Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.

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