Tee Higgins Bengals Wide Receiver Just Announced His Departure

Thanks to quarterback Joe Burrow’s contract extension, Cincinnati’s front management will be managing an offseason unlike any other. This is an unusual circumstance because the team has never spent as much money to keep Burrow in Cincinnati, especially considering that Ja’Marr Chase is expected to receive a large contract extension.

You can argue both for and against the ruling, and that’s precisely what we’ll do in this instance in order to get ready for the franchise tag window to open. Prior to breaking down each scenario, it’s critical to comprehend how the Bengals arrived at this position.

How did Tee Higgins of the Bengals arrive at this point?
Before the 2023 regular season got underway, The Enquirer revealed that the Bengals and Higgins were never able to come to an agreement on an extension. After his third season in 2022, Higgins was entitled to receive one, but the two parties were unable to come to an understanding. In most cases, both the player and the team move on if an extension cannot be reached before the player’s contract expires.

Since the Bengals selected Higgins in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft, he has been an integral part of the team’s offensive strategy. Higgins most likely would have signed an extension with the team by now if Chase hadn’t been selected with the No. 5 overall choice a year later to partner with Burrow.

NFL teams find it very difficult to provide two wide receiver contracts that are above market, particularly in light of Burrow’s deal from the previous summer. Burrow received a $275 million, five-year contract extension with the Bengals, with an average annual value of $55 million. He has a contract with the Bengals that runs through 2029.

In recent years, the wide receiver market has also grown tremendously. The highest-paid wide receivers earn between $24 and $30 million annually. Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins leads the list in wide receiver salary, earning $30 million annually. D.K. Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks and A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles make between $24 and $25 million.

In the end, Chase will probably be closer to the $30 million mark. Although he is eligible for an extension this summer, the former Offensive Rookie of the Year is probably going to hold off on signing a new contract with the Bengals until wide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings signs one.

Higgins’ market will probably approximate the contracts of Brown and Metcalf because of the way he plays, which is primarily as an outside receiver.

Option 1: Give Tee Higgins a franchise tag and allow him to play for Cincinnati for one more season
Although history indicates that this is the most likely choice the Bengals will make, there are still a lot of variables to consider. Higgins will not be able to sign a free agent contract when the next league year starts if the Bengals apply the tag to him at any time in the upcoming weeks. With the franchise tag, Higgins, Chase, and Burrow would have an additional year to work toward a Lombardi Trophy.

The Bengals will give Higgins a guaranteed $21 million for a single year if they place the tag on him and he signs it.

After putting the tag on Higgins, it seemed improbable that the Bengals could come to a long-term arrangement with him. This sounds a lot like what happened to safety Jessie Bates and the Bengals.

After failing to reach a long-term agreement, Cincinnati placed the tag on Bates, guaranteeing he would play for the team for one more season. Near the end of the tag window, on March 7, the Bengals gave Bates the franchise tag. After playing on the franchise tag in 2022, Bates became a free agent and signed with the Atlanta Falcons. David Mulugheta of Athletes First is the same agency that represents Higgins and Bates.

The Bengals’ choice to tag Higgins would indicate that they think highly enough of him to be willing to pay a high price for just one season. Burrow and the coaching staff in the building hold Higgins in high regard. Burrow stated that he anticipates Higgins returning for a second season after the conclusion of the 2023 campaign. See if Cincinnati’s top quarterback gets his desire.

Option 2: Put Tee Higgins’ franchise tag on him in the hopes of negotiating a trade and tag
Other clubs may still express interest in hiring Higgins if the Bengals tag him with a non-exclusive franchise tag at any time during the window. Higgins can be acquired by another team by arranging a tag-and-trade with Cincinnati.

This implies that Higgins’ contract would be taken up by another team, and the Bengals would get draft picks in exchange.