Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is playing on the franchise tag in 2024, leading to a lot of speculation about his future in Cincinnati. Higgins is widely considered the top free agent to be and it is a foregone conclusion that his next contract will come from outside of Cincinnati.
That is unless you ask the Bengals’ two best players...
Following a 27-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys, quarterback Joe Burrow was asked about the potential to keep Higgins in stripes beyond this season, and Burrow’s response got the fan base buzzing.
Joe Burrow just said he’s confident they will be able to find a way to get Tee Higgins back and he’s willing to do what it takes.
Asked why he’s confident, offered a sly “we’ll see.”
Wow.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) December 10, 2024
Burrow said he is willing to “do what it takes” to retain Higgins certainly suggests that he is willing to restructure his contract to fit Higgins in to a plan that certainly includes a massive extension for Ja’Marr Chase.
Higgins was asked about Burrow’s comments and said he never ruled out a return to Cincinnati after this season.
Chase was also asked about bringing Higgins back and added that he is also confident the Bengals can retain Higgins’ services.
Chase on if it is possible to keep him and Higgins fully paid together with Burrow: “It’s 100 percent possible. Got to play chess in that situation, but it’s possible.”
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) December 10, 2024
Chase added that he wished he could sign Higgins himself and keep him with him for “an eternity.”
Sort of odd timing for this to come up, but the faces of the franchise are confident they can put their heads together and make it happen, which puts all the more pressure on the Bengals front office to make it happen.
Higgins can’t be extended until the new league year begins in March, but the Bengals do have the option to franchise tag him for a second straight year.
There is a lot to keep an eye on when March rolls around...