Two record-setting NFL contracts handed out hours apart, plus biggest remaining free agency need for each team

Welcome to the St. Patrick’s Day edition of the Pick Six newsletter! 

Apparently, everyone in the NFL got the memo that today is St. Patrick’s Day because every NFL owner is handing out pots of gold. OK, well not every owner, but Bengals owner Mike Brown and Texans owner Cal McNair have been feeling very generous over the past 24 hours. 

In Cincinnati, Brown handed out a total of $276 million in new contract money to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. In Houston, McNair made Derek Stingley Jr. the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. 

We’ll be covering all three of those deals today, plus more, so let’s get to the rundown.

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1. Bengals break the bank to keep Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins: Four things to know

The Bengals have long had a reputation for being cheap, but no one is going to be using that word to describe them anymore after what they did on Sunday night. Bengals owner Mike Brown opened up his pocketbook and handed out a total of $276 million in contract money to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. 

The Bengals had a chance to get these contracts done last offseason, but things got acrimonious between the team and its two star receivers. This year, they finally got a deal done with each guy. 

Here’s what you need to know: 

• Ja’Marr Chase is now the highest-paid non-QB in the NFL. The Bengals star, who’s coming off a season where he led the NFL in receptions, TD catches and receiving yards, has agreed to terms on a four-year, $162 million extension. The deal pays him an average of $40.25 million per year, which moves him past Myles Garrett for the title of highest-paid non-quarterback. Chase’s deal also includes $112 million in guaranteed money. 
• Tee Higgins also gets paid. Higgins wasn’t happy in February after he got hit with the franchise tag for the second straight season, but he’s happy now after landing a four-year, $115 million contract. At $28.75 million per year, Higgins is now the highest-paid No. 2 receiver in the NFL, moving ahead of Jaylen Waddle, who’s currently making $28.25 million per year with the Dolphins. 
• Joe Burrow made all of this happen. The Bengals quarterback was interviewed multiple times during Super Bowl week and during each interview he made it clear that the team Bengals needed to re-sign their key players. Burrow specifically mentioned Higgins, Chase, Mike Gesicki and Trey Hendrickson as players who needed to be signed. Well, the Bengals now have three of those four players under contract and it won’t be surprising if they figure out a way to get a deal done with Hendrickson to complete Burrow’s wish list (The two sides are reportedly already back at the negotiating table). 
• Salary cap implications. As things currently stand, Burrow, Higgins and Chase are currently going to make a combined average of $124 million per year. However, their cap number won’t be quite that high, at least not for 2025. Although Burrow makes an average of $55 million per year, his cap number is only $46 million for 2025. Higgins was set to have a franchise tag cap hit of $26.2 million in 2025, but that number is now expected to go down. As for Chase, his cap number was scheduled to be $21.82 million, but that number should also be coming down thanks to his new deal. The three combined hits for 2025 will likely be under $100 million combined, although we won’t know for sure until the full contracts are released. The salary cap for 2025 is $279.2 million and after the Bengals process the two new deals, they’ll likely have about $35 million in cap space. 

You can check out our full story on the Bengals’ record-setting deals here. Also, I broke down why the Bengals got out of their comfort zone this offseason and you can check that out here. 

2. Derek Stingley Jr. lands record-setting deal from Texans

The Bengals aren’t the only team that handed out a record-setting contract heading into St. Patrick’s Day; the Texans also threw a pot of gold at Derek Stingley Jr. 

The cornerback got a historical new deal, and here’s what you need to know: 

• Stingley is now the highest-paid corner in NFL history. The third overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft agreed to terms with the Texans on a three-year, $90 million extension that includes $89 million in guaranteed money. With an average annual value of $30 million per year, that totally resets the market at cornerback. Going into the 2025 offseason, Patrick Surtain II was the highest-paid corner at $24.1 million per year, but he was then topped by Jaycee Horn this month (The Panthers corner got a deal worth $25 million per year). When a player resets the market, they usually get about $1 million per year higher than the previous record, but Stingley got $5 million per year higher than Horn, which is wild. 
• Stingley has definitely earned his money. When you have a shutdown corner in the NFL, you have to do everything you can to keep him, and the Texans have that in Stingley. The 2024 All-Pro was one of the best corners in the NFL last season. According to PFF, quarterbacks had just a 39.6 passer rating when targeting him, which was the best number by any corner in the NFL. Stingley has picked off a total of 10 passes over the past two seasons combined, which is tied for the fourth-most interceptions in the NFL over that span. 
• LSU players are getting paid. Stingley was actually an LSU teammate of Ja’Marr Chase in 2019, and with both guys getting a new deal, that team has combined to make some serious money in the NFL. Not only did that team have Chase and Stingley, but it also had Joe Burrow and Justin Jefferson. Those four players have now signed new contracts worth a total of $666 million. 

The biggest winner of the Stingley deal might be Sauce Gardner. The Jets corner is due for an extension soon and there’s a good chance he’ll be looking to top Stingley’s record-setting number. 

We’ve got the full details on Stingley’s record-setting deal, and you can check those out here. 

3. Biggest remaining need for each NFL team after one week of free agency

The biggest problem with trying to build an NFL team is that you’re never done building. Even if you fill a few of your needs in free agency, there are always going to be other needs. 

With that in mind, Josh Edwards decided to take a look at every team’s biggest remaining need after one week of free agency: 

• Browns: Quarterback. “It sounds as though Cleveland’s plan, at this time, is sign either Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins, if made available. Should both of those options fall through, then the team would explore signing Joe Flacco or Carson Wentz. In short, it is less than an ideal situation at the game’s most important position. Cleveland is still likely to take a quarterback in the draft as well.”
• Patriots: Offensive tackle. “New England needed not one, but two offensive tackles. They signed veteran Morgan Moses to play right tackle, but still need to address backside protection for Drake Maye. Fortunately for the Patriots, they hold the No. 4 overall selection and will have the choice of Missouri’s Armand Membou or LSU’s Will Campbell. Wide receiver remains a priority as well.”
• Bears: Defensive tackle. “Chicago’s roster, from top to bottom, is really solid after all the moves they made along the offensive and defensive lines. There are still question marks in specific roles, but the biggest is defensive tackle. They may not add another body to that room, but they need Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens to develop and/or Grady Jarrett, Andrew Billings delivering competent play into their 30s.”
• Seahawks: Offensive guard. “They chose not to be active in pursuit of top dollar free agents and are now exploring reclamation projects, such as Teven Jenkins, who has struggled to stay healthy.”

You can check out the biggest need for each of the 28 other teams here. 

4. 10 contract observations from the first week of free agency

There’s no one here at CBS Sports who knows more about NFL contracts than Joel Corry, and the reason Joel knows so much is because he used to be an NFL agent. 

After taking a look at every contract that has been signed over the past week, Joel made 10 contract-related observations and we’re going to take a look at three of them. 

• Why Josh Allen didn’t try to break Dak Prescott’s $60 million-per-year record. “Allen was clearly focused on cash flow as opposed to maximizing the average yearly salary. His $220 million from 2025 through 2028 is the best four-year cash flow ever in an NFL contract. It surpassed the previous high of $219 million (2024 through 2027) in the four-year, $240 million extension Prescott signed with the Cowboys last September that made him the NFL’s first $60 million-per-year player.”
• Commanders are trying to take advantage of a suddenly wide-open Super Bowl window. “The first order of business was bringing back Zach Ertz and Bobby Wagner, the 34-year-old seasoned veterans, who helped changed the culture in Washington. Wagner, a future first ballot Hall of Fame linebacker, signed a one-year, $9 million deal with $8 million fully guaranteed worth up to $9.5 million through incentives. Ertz received $6.25 million for one year where $5.59 million is fully guaranteed. The three-time Pro Bowl tight end can make as much as $9 million because of incentives. General manager Adam Peters has been active in the trade market, adding Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil.”
• Teams are adding more and more per-game roster bonuses into contracts. “Per-game roster bonuses are becoming increasingly prevalent in NFL contracts, particularly with players who don’t have a history of getting hurt. It’s impossible to sign a contract of significance on multiple teams, including the 49ers and Patriots, without per-game roster bonuses.The Patriots are taking per-game roster bonuses to an extreme. For example, Williams’ four-year contract averaging $26 million per year contains $8.5 million in per-game roster bonuses. He has $2.55 million ($150,000 for each game active) in 2027 and 2028.”

Corry has seven more observations, and you can check those out here.  

5. Mock Draft Monday: Three quarterbacks go in first round

It’s time for another edition of Mock Draft Monday, which is where we hunt down one of our NFL Draft gurus and force them to give you a new mock draft since there’s no better way to start the week than with a fresh mock draft. 

This week’s mock is coming from NFL draft analyst Josh Edwards, who has THREE quarterbacks going in the first round. 

Let’s check out his top 10: 

1. Titans: QB Cam Ward (Miami)
2. Browns: EDGE Abdul Carter (Penn State) 
3. Giants: CB/WR Travis Hunter (Colorado) 
4. Patriots: OT Will Campbell (LSU) 
5. Jaguars: DL Mason Graham (Michigan)
6. Raiders: WR Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona) 
7. Jets: OT Armand Membou (Missouri)
8. Panthers: EDGE Mykel Williams (Georgia) 
9. Saints: QB Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) 
10. Bears: RB Ashton Jeanty (Boise State) 

If you’re wondering where the other first-round quarterback ended up, don’t worry, I’m not going to leave you hanging. Josh has the Steelers taking Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart with the 21st overall pick. 

If you want to see how the rest of the first round pans out, then be sure to check out Josh’s entire mock draft here. 

For more draft coverage, you can hear Ryan Wilson every week on “With the First Pick,” our year-round NFL Draft podcast here at CBS Sports. You can find “With the First Pick” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. 

6. Extra points: Vikings make trade with 49ers

It was a busy weekend in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. 

• Vikings acquire Jordan Mason from 49ers. The Vikings have added a running back to pair with Aaron Jones. Minnesota acquired Jordan Mason in a trade with the 49ers. The Vikings are getting Mason and a 2025 fifth-round pick (187th overall) while the 49ers are getting a 2025 fifth-round pick (160th) and a 2026 sixth-round pick in the deal. We’ve got some grades for the trade and you can check those out here. 
• Jameis Winston to visit the Giants. With Aaron Rodgers still undecided about his future, the Giants have been busy bringing in veteran quarterbacks. First, they met with Joe Flacco last week, and now, they’re set to visit with Jameis. We’ve got more on his visit here. 
• Kirk Cousins staying in Atlanta for now. Cousins had a $10 million roster bonus for 2026 that became fully guaranteed over the weekend. If the Falcons had cut him before 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, the guarantee wouldn’t have triggered, but they decided to keep him. This pretty much tells you that the Falcons aren’t planning to give away Cousins for free. If another team wants him, they’re likely going to have to make a trade for him. You can read more about his situation here. 
• Cowboys lose long-time backup QB. After eight seasons, Cooper Rush is finally leaving Dallas. Dak Prescott’s long-time backup QB is now headed to Baltimore, where he’ll serve as the backup to Lamar Jackson. You can read about Rush’s new two-year deal here. 
• Chargers sign Mekhi Becton. The former Eagles offensive lineman was one of the top guards left on the market, but he’s no longer available after signing with the Chargers. It’s a bold move by the Chargers, who are proving that they’re very serious about bringing in protection for Justin Herbert. We’ve got the full details on Becton’s two-year deal here. 
• Smith-Schuster staying in Kansas City. Not only is Hollywood Brown returning for another season in Kansas City, but so is JuJu Smith-Schuster. The veteran receiver has agreed to terms on a one-year deal and will now he headed back to Kansas City for his third season with the Chiefs.