The Cincinnati Bengals have a critical offseason ahead of them to try to retain their key pieces, with one big decision needing to be made sooner rather than later.
Wide receiver Tee Higgins is set to hit free agency in March unless he and the Bengals can come to an agreement on a new deal to keep him in the Queen City.
When asked about the ongoing process of determining whether he’ll be able to stay in the city he’s called home for all five years of his NFL career, Higgins acknowledged that, while he knows what he wants, decisions about whether he and his teammates stay together are not entirely his to make.
“Yeah, of course, we all want to keep the core pieces what it is, even with Mike Gesicki. That's a core piece as well. So obviously, we want to build something here in Cincy," Higgins said this weekend, via FOX19’s Joe Danneman. "But you know, it's not in my hands right now. So I gotta do what I need to do, and if that's go to another team, that's what happens.”
Though the Bengals didn’t rise to the preseason expectations for the team in 2024, just missing out on the playoffs despite a late surge, the team saw multiple players on both sides of the ball have career years, ones they hope to hold onto to keep the team competitive in the near future.
That’s easier said than done, with Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin admitting recently that with limited cap space and existing financial commitments to other players, they’d do what they could, but they "can't have guys at the top of the payroll in every position."
But that’s what many of the Bengals stars are hoping can get worked out, with Higgins just the latest player to publicly advocate for the team to pay all their pieces and keep the group together at least one more year.
Reigning NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson responded to Tobin last week by expressing his desire to either sign an extension with the team or get traded. Ja'Marr Chase discussed his hope to get “what’s fair” in a second NFL contract after earning the receiving triple crown. And Joe Burrow, who has already been locked in by Cincinnati with a five-year, $275 million deal, expressed that he’d be willing to “do what it takes” to keep his high-value teammates on the squad.
But unlike those teammates, who at least for now remain under contract at least one more year, Higgins’ deadline to make a deal will come much sooner as the start of free agency approaches in just over a month. At that point, a lack of agreement between the sides on a deal would send Higgins into the open market, where there’s certainly not a lack of teams in need of a big-play receiver.
Higgins said he’s “for sure” proven he’s a No. 1 wide receiver after racking up 911 yards and double-digit TDs in 2024, and one of those WR-needy teams would likely be willing to pay the price he believes he deserves if the Bengals aren’t.
But for now, with the 2024 season only officially drawing to a close on Sunday with Super Bowl LIX, Higgins said he’s going to take a beat to clear his head before everything ramps back up, and then wait and see what can be done to keep him in orange and black.
“Obviously I would love to be here in Cincinnati,” Higgins said. “I love it here. I love the city. I love the fans. I love the coaching staff -- everything in the building. But it's not in my control."