Tee Higgins' contract is an even better deal for him if the prime of his career pans out how the Bengals envision

Without knowing the full details of the deal yet, we don't know exactly how many incentives are baked into the deal, or what will trigger said incentives. It could be simply playing time in the form of snaps or games played, or it could be production-based in the form of receptions, yards, or touchdowns posted.

Considering Higgins' main fault as a player has been a handful of soft tissue injuries that have sidelined him throughout his young career, you'd think playing time is the subject of his incentives. And even if that's not the case, the more he plays, the more likely he'll hit certain production thresholds as well.

Whatever the case may be, there are at least $5.01 million in incentives for Higgins to earn based on Schultz's reporting. The maximum value of the deal would have to exceed $120 million to cross the $30 million AAV. 

If all goes according to plan, Higgins will play enough to earn that money and effectively the contract he could've gotten elsewhere. A win-win for all parties involved.

This was a smart concession the Bengals made. They had leverage to keep Higgins' base value under the $30 million per year mark since he was barred from the open market. Higgins' agent, Rocky Arceneaux, made sure his client could earn that money back while giving the team the best chance to win.

Higgins' contract was already going to be a groundbreaking data point in franchise history. It's the largest deal for a No. 2 receiver on his own team, and it includes guarantees in the second year of the deal. That's unprecedented for this club beyond Joe Burrow and now Ja'Marr Chase. Even including those two, Higgins isn't quite viewed in the same tier, otherwise he would've commanded a similar deal Chase got. For him to get future guarantees at all is monumental precedent.

No matter how you slice it, this deal is huge for Cincinnati.