The Cincinnati Bengals are in a tough spot.
They fired their defensive coordinator after the unit struggled this season, and another slow start under head coach Zac Taylor cost them a playoff berth.
On top of that, they again have to deal with Tee Higgins’ contract situation.
Former Bengals lineman Andrew Whitworth said the organization will have a tough time dealing with what the wide receiver might want.
“It’s gonna be a stressful offseason to figure out who’s back and how they make all that work with the money,” Whitworth said, via Jim Rome.
"It's gonna be a stressful offseason to figure out who's back and how they make all that work with the money."@AndrewWhitworth on Tee Higgins and Cincinnati's offseason pic.twitter.com/V6Yxts93jY
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) January 11, 2025
Quarterback Joe Burrow has repeatedly notified the team that he wants Higgins to be back.
Then again, Burrow’s massive contract, plus Ja’Marr Chase’s likely extension, will make that difficult.
Higgins also has admitted that he would love to be back in Cincinnati, though he requested to be traded and admitted to being disappointed that the team hadn’t offered him a contract extension after placing him under the franchise tag.
The Bengals, however, did not honor his request, so he had no choice but to play under those conditions.
That’s not likely to be the case again next season.
Even if the Bengals decide to use the franchise tag again, which seems unlikely, it seems even less likely that Higgins would consider playing under it for a second time.
The Bengals’ front office has struggled to retain talent, and it will be interesting to see how they handle this situation.
NEXT: Zac Taylor Could Make Significant Change To Bengals' Offseason Program
