CINCINNATI -- Two of the NFL's most prominent wide receivers will be with the Cincinnati Bengals for the foreseeable future.

Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins told Fox Sports on Sunday that they have agreed to contract extensions. Chase agreed to a four-year, $161 million deal that includes $112 million guaranteed, while Higgins agreed to a four-year, $115 million deal that is guaranteed for the first two years, they told Fox Sports.

Chase's deal has an annual average of $40.25 million, setting an NFL record for the highest average annual salary for a non-quarterback.

The agreements conclude years of negotiations for each player. And quarterback Joe Burrow, who has been vocal in advocating for Chase and Higgins to get new contracts, now has his top targets secured.

"We have several guys like [Chase] who have stepped up for us and deserved to be paid," Burrow told ESPN at the Pro Bowl Games in January. "And deserve to be paid what they're worth."

Chase, who turned 25 on March 1, is coming off one of the best seasons by a receiver in NFL history. He became the fifth player since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to win the receiving triple crown, leading all players in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17).

Higgins, 26, was hampered by injuries last season but was still productive when on the field. He was 10th in receiving yards per game (75.9), according to ESPN Research. He also caught 10 touchdowns in 12 appearances.

Each player was under team control for the upcoming season. Chase was on the final year of his rookie deal. The Bengals placed the franchise tag on Higgins for the second straight year.

However, the methods used by the team to control the salaries for both players caused plenty of consternation.

Ahead of the 2024 free agency period, Higgins requested a trade after he was franchise-tagged for the first time. The second-round pick in the 2020 draft ultimately decided to play last season on the tag.

A few months later, Chase conducted a "hold-in" during training camp in which he did not participate in any team activities. He ended his stalemate with the club ahead of the first game of the season.

Both players were ultimately rewarded for not only their previous efforts but for what they bring to the team in the future.

"We're paying guys for what they're going to give us," Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said at the league's scouting combine in February. "We're not just paying guys for what they've already done."

Tobin, the team's de facto general manager, also made it clear the Bengals wanted to give Chase a historic contract. Chase's record for non-quarterbacks breaks the mark briefly held by Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, who recently signed a four-year deal worth $40 million annually.

And any lingering issues from the rough first negotiation between the Bengals and Chase -- in which, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter, Chase felt misled -- had been smoothed over by this offseason.

At the scouting combine, Bengals coach Zac Taylor said he and Chase have a "great relationship" that includes the ability for the star receiver to provide feedback to the team's offensive playcaller.

"Ja'Marr does a great job of not just spewing answers that he doesn't think through because he wants the ball," Taylor said. "There's been times he said, 'Hey, man, everything else we're doing is working, and I'm just going to keep doing my thing over here, even though I haven't gotten a lot of touches.' But it's our job to put him in a position to get touches early in every single game."

Last season, the Bengals boasted one of the league's most efficient offenses. Cincinnati ranked eighth in points per drive, sixth in touchdowns per drive and fourth in touchdowns per pass attempt.

That wasn't enough to keep the Bengals from missing the playoffs for the second straight season. The repeat playoff absences occurred after back-to-back trips to the AFC Championship Game, including a victory and Super Bowl appearance in Chase's rookie season in 2021.

With Chase and Higgins now under new multiyear deals, Cincinnati has the playmakers to rebuild its status as a title contender.