The Cincinnati Bengals are in a good position right now, with the team recently signing superstar quarterback Joe Burrow to a five-year deal to make him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
With Burrow’s future now set in Cincinnati, the attention turns to the rest of the roster and what the team can do to keep it intact while competing as Super Bowl title contenders every single year.
Interestingly enough, one star player in Cincinnati doesn’t appear to be in the team’s long-term plans.
According to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, wide receiver Tee Higgins isn’t in the team’s plans beyond this season, which is a surprising development, via Dov Kleiman.
Update: #Bengals WR Tee Higgins is Not believed to be in the Bengals future plans, source tells @KelseyLConway
There's no word about a trade coming for Higgins at this time, but a possible tag-and-trade could happen in offseason.https://t.co/3jx39X4VmKhttps://t.co/j2nTk7gQjt pic.twitter.com/SxUeIUFzMO
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 8, 2023
Apparently, the two sides haven’t been close to putting together a contract extension that would secure his future with the team beyond the 2023 NFL season.
Although superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is obviously the No. 1 option in the passing game, and the team will definitely want to secure his future in Cincinnati, Higgins might be asking too high a price for his services, even though he’s coming off consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Higgins is about as consistent as they come at the wide receiver position in all three seasons he’s been with the Bengals.
Along with two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, it would’ve been three, but he came up 92 yards short in his rookie season; he’s also been a consistent red-zone threat with six or more touchdowns each season.
If and seemingly when he hits the open market, he’ll have no shortage of suitors unless he suffers a severe decline in 2023.
NEXT: Skip Bayless Reacts To Joe Burrow’s Contract Extension
