Duke Tobin has made definitive proclamations on Tee Higgins during each of the past two winters. The de facto Bengals GM declared his No. 2 wide receiver unavailable in trades at the 2023 Combine and then franchise-tagged him last year. Barring a second franchise tag, Higgins is poised to hit the market.
Higgins would vault to the top tier of this year’s free agent crop if not re-tagged, and although Joe Burrow has stumped for the Bengals to keep the high-end Ja’Marr Chase sidekick, Tobin’s latest comments do not point to that being the likely scenario. The veteran personnel exec said the Bengals want to retain Higgins; as could be expected, however, Tobin acknowledged the challenges this effort will bring.
[RELATED: Early Expectations Point To Higgins Exit]
“It’s going to be hard,” Tobin told the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway on the subject of a Higgins re-signing. “We feel like we have the resources to do it, but it all depends on how the negotiation goes and whether they’re willing to accept wanting to come back at a number that makes sense for everybody. And you know what we do with Tee going forward, I’ve always been very upfront in my desire to have Tee Higgins on our team.
“I’ve never not been upfront about that, and that desire continues, but we have to be able to come together with his representation on what that means and what the right number is for his experience, for his play time, for his production.”
Considering where the wide receiver market has gone and the price hike Chase’s first-team All-Pro season likely will bring, the Bengals will have their work cut out for them regarding any effort to convince Higgins to take a discount. The team already denied the five-year veteran a chance to capitalize on his value in free agency last year, via the tag.
Higgins has changed agents and could certainly sign a deal north of $25MM per year on the open market. Where the cap settles will help shape Higgins’ price, but a two-time 1,000-yard pass catcher becoming available ahead of his age-26 season will ignite a bidding war. The Patriots are among the teams expected to be involved.
The last time true negotiations between the Bengals and Higgins transpired, the team submitted a below-market offer believed to be well south of even $20MM per year. The team has not conducted serious negotiations with Higgins since the first half of 2023; Higgins was the only tagged player last year not subsequently extended. Cincinnati is again free to do so, with the season having ended, and holds exclusive negotiating rights until March 10. But it would take a monster proposal for the Bengals to keep Higgins from testing free agency. Based on Tobin’s comments, it does not appear that should be expected.
“Let’s find something that works for everybody, because he is a guy that we want to have here, and hopefully that can come together, but we have other guys who are trying to take big bites of the apple in other areas, and we’re going to have to balance those as we go forward,” Tobin said.
Tobin did tell Conway he meets with Burrow to start each offseason, effectively keeping the superstar passer in the loop, but the exploding WR market — one that will be set to include a market-setting Chase extension before too long — may talk louder here. Although D.J. Moore is a more accomplished player, his $27.5MM-per-year Bears accord did not involve multiple suitors. Brandon Aiyuk‘s market did, to a degree, as the 49ers let him gauge the market in a complex process. That produced a $30MM-per-year deal with $76MM in total guarantees. That could be the price range for Higgins, as the market’s top five consists of first-team All-Pros. Higgins has yet to make a Pro Bowl.
Some execs are quite skeptical the Bengals, with the $55MM-AAV Burrow deal on their books, will pay Higgins market value, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds. With Chase almost definitely set to ask for more than Justin Jefferson‘s Vikings payday ($35MM per to go with $110MM guaranteed), it seems doubtful a Bengals franchise not known for lavish spending will pony up what is necessary.
A second tag would cost Cincinnati $26.2MM. While not too much has come out suggesting that is realistic, it would be a way for the Bengals to either reassess their options — after the team underachieved in 2024 — or obtain value in a trade. Projected to hold more than $46MM in cap space, the Bengals will have until March 4 to apply a second Higgins tag. Otherwise, the team could lose a core player for a mere 2026 compensatory pick.
Free us their ‘right price’
He would look great catching passes from Drake Maye next year.
This.
Probably be very busy chasing points in New England ..
What a stupid thing to say. Obviously the number is a big part of it.
Basically the Bengals trying to get ahead of it and do damage control considering they haven’t had serious negotiations with Higgins in over a year. This way they can say “they offered Higgins what they thought was a fair number”. Considering how Higgins, Chase, and Hendrickson’s negotiations have gone I doubt any of them have received actual “fair” offers.
He’s getting more than 26.2 if he hits the open market. No one likes the tag, but I keep hearing how the Bengals are cheap and have to manage Burrow and Chase’s huge deals for the future, so I don’t see how that isn’t the outcome with an extension later worked out after.
Tee Higgins is a fantastic WR and only 26, hitting his prime. Sadly he’s shown himself to be vulnerable to injury, playing 12 games in each of the last two seasons. I understand why the Bengals do not want to pay a super premium on Higgins, as to have a WR sitting on the sidelines for half the season for $30 million would tank the season.
It probably makes more sense to tag Higgins again, and let it be known to Higgins, his agent and the league that the Bengals are listening to offers (probably a round two pick, as Higgins new team would have to back up the Brinks truck to resign him). If not, the Bengals get one more year of Higgins’s prime, and then their third round draft pick.
There are no real losers in any of these scenarios, as long as Higgins does not suffer a career ending injury. If the long term contract is what Higgins want, I’m sure the Bengals would be listening to a high guarantee on a more modest per annum salary.
Steelers should sign Higgins and trade Pickens.
It’s crystal clear that the Bengals want to end their relationship with Higgins but if Burrows says nada, then they have no choice but to concede to Joe’s wishes.