Imagine yourself witnessing a game-winning drive play out in real time. Everything is happening right in front of you: the last-minute planning, the tension building, the strategy. Now, just change all of that with plans taking place in a high-end Miami restaurant. And instead of the QBs calling the shots, it’s Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

We are fortunate that FOX Sports NFL Insider Jordan Schultz was there to see the chaos in action. And to give us the insider story, NFL on FOX Podcast (@NFLonFOXPod) posted a video on X, captioned – “​​🤯🔥 @Schultz_Report shares a crazy story of being in the room with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins when he broke the news on their contract extensions and how it all came about.” Honestly? The story is as wild as it sounds.

Now, this isn’t some general protocol ‘sign on the dotted line’ type of story. This is about a risky situation where stakes were pretty high – so every move had to be just right. Because let’s not forget the Bengals‘ history here – the deal was almost done with Ja’Marr Chase last season, but then the talks collapsed.

So, Chase did what any athlete would do – he went all out, dominated the league, won the Triple Crown, and basically made the Bengals regret their decision.

But that’s not it, it gets a lot crazier. Tee Higgins comes into the picture, Ja’Marr Chase’s right-hand man and both of them have the same agent, Rocky Arsenal. And this season Arsenal wasn’t there to negotiate the terms – he was setting them. The Bengals had no other option but to follow.

The Bengals’ front office gets outplayed by Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins

Though all this sounds like a smooth, well-executed deal. In reality, the Bengals’ front office had zero say in how things went down. The agent of the wide receivers made sure that the Bengals had no choice but to agree to the terms they laid down.

Schultz explained how Arsenal made his move, “He made it very clear to Cincinnati throughout the negotiation that he was gonna get Ja’Marr’s deals done, but Ja’Marr’s deal only gets done if Tee’s deal gets done, and it’s gonna be simultaneous.” So, his strategy worked. Both Chase and Higgins got the deal.

And the Bengals were under so much pressure because of the way things worked out in the past. Schultz described the entire moment on the podcast, giving us a front-row seat to the behind-the-scenes action: “Go back to last year. The Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase got really close on a deal before Week One. Ends up not happening. They shut down negotiations for the rest of the season, and he is ultra motivated to have this iconic type of season, which he does, wins the Triple Crown. We knew, and I had been saying for months, the number for Ja’Marr Chase was gonna start with a four. The question became, what happens with Tee Higgins?”

So, yeah, the Bengals were either afraid of repeating their past mistakes, or maybe they learned their lesson.

Now, let’s get back to the legendary dinner. Schultz sat with both the stars and saw their reaction to how they felt about being locked in. He talks about Ja’Marr first, who gives his nod but wants Tee’s approval. And then Tee comes in and takes a look at it, saying, “That’s smooth.” That’s really how all of that went down.

So, if you ever wondered how franchise and game-changing deals take place in the NFL world. Well, sometimes, it’s over a good meal and a great agent, who knows how to get you what you want. The Bengals’ future? Sealed over dinner. Now let’s see if that Super Bowl plan plays out just as smoothly.