In a rather complex position as the 2024 league year winds down, the Bengals appear to have established their priority regarding their extension candidates. Tee Higgins, who had previously been expected to depart in 2025, has taken the spot behind Ja’Marr Chase. Trey Hendrickson is now talking to other teams about a trade.
But it would not be an NFL trade window if Higgins wasn’t generating trade calls. The re-tagged wide receiver is indeed drawing more trade interest, with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reporting multiple teams have reached out to the Bengals. Evidently seeing if the Bengals would be open to resolving their Chase-Higgins-Hendrickson quagmire by trading the older of their two receiver standouts, teams continue to monitor the player who may well have outflanked Sam Darnold on our latest free agent top 50. Again, however, Higgins will not see the market.
As this refrain goes, Cincy is not budging. The Bengals are informing teams Higgins is unavailable, Russini adds. Even after the five-year veteran missed five games for a second straight season, the Bengals remain committed to working out a deal. Higgins no longer appears a high-end rental.
Higgins trade talk began at the 2023 Combine, when Duke Tobin‘s “go find your own” comment set the trend here. The Bengals then rebuffed trade interest at the 2023 trade deadline, franchise-tagged the former second-rounder in 2024 and again brushed aside Higgins trade interest at the 2024 deadline. A second tag has since come out, as the Bengals were one of only two teams to use a tag this year. As Courtland Sutton appears to have vacated his spot as an oft-rumored trade chip, Higgins stands front and center as teams attempt to determine the Bengals’ path.
It is understandable that teams would call, seeing as everything was pointing to a Higgins 2025 exit — either via free agency or a tag-and-trade transaction. As Joe Burrow has continually stumped for the organization to retain his WR2, it appears the Bengals have gotten the message. After Tobin said he wanted Higgins back at the “right number,” earlier this offseason, Burrow’s media tour continued. While Hendrickson may be the odd man out, the Bengals are moving toward following the Eagles and Dolphins’ lead in having two high-priced receivers and a franchise quarterback on the books.
Not big on restructures or void years, the Bengals do hold $51.7MM in cap space. Some of that will need to be allocated to receiver deals, though backloading them would allow the team room to make shorter-term augmentations in free agency. Chase and the Bengals are not believed to be close on terms, as the superstar’s fifth-year option season looms. Chase is tied to a $21.8MM option number, while Higgins’ second tag is worth $26.2MM. Extensions would reduce those 2025 figures.
Higgins has been tied to a $30MM-per-year asking price, as he likely would have commanded it on the open market. Going into his age-26 season, Higgins has been fine staying in Cincinnati. Will this be the offseason his payday finally comes?
Are the Buccaneers calling on Higgy baby?
The Bengals need to just pay Chase and Higgins already.
Tobin is not smart and needs to stop making these comments publicly. Your team is only relevant because of your QB, two #1 WRs, and now your young star RB. Pay them.
I get what you’re saying but there are a lot of teams “ only relevant “ because of their star players.
KC
Baltimore
Buffalo
Detroit
Take the 3 best offensive players off of each of those and let me know how relevant they are.
Incorrect.
Those are all complete teams because they’re run by intelligent GMs.
Cincinnati on the other hand under this guy has flat out refused to pay many of their best players and has nothing to show for their many off-seasons with Joe Burrow in tow other than three to four offensive stars.
Burrow’s been to a Super Bowl. Josh Allen has not, and he’s been in the league two more years than Burrow.
So, I’m not 100% sure what you mean.
I’m not sure how anybody can not know exactly what I mean.
The Bengals have done a terrible job since that Superbowl with very few exceptions.
All of the other teams in that list have built complete teams and consistently been in or near the playoffs.
Sounds like Cincinnati front office love to over spend on their offense and under pay on their defense. Will their front office get it together to make the playoffs or make another Superbowl? I say they are a bunch of stupid front office personnel!
Honestly the only person they’ve actually paid so far is Burrow.
In fact, they’ve paid way more on defense than offense ever since Carson Palmer left Cincy.
They’ve yet to pay Higgins or Chase, and it remains to be seen whether or not they’ll pay Chase Brown even though he’s clearly a star in the making.