The future is quickly looking brighter for the Cincinnati Bengals, who have been mired in a disappointing season so far. Cincinnati kept its playoff hopes alive after defeating the Cowboys on Monday night. After the game, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow gave an optimistic answer when asked about wide receiver Tee Higgins’ future with the team.
Higgins is playing this season under the franchise tag after he and the Bengals were unable to come to terms on an extension last offseason. Burrow, however, feels that this time things will be different.
“We don’t know, but those discussions are ongoing,” Burrow said. “I’m sure we’ll be able to do whatever it takes to bring Tee back. I know I’ll do whatever it takes to get him back, and so will he. We’ve had those conversations. Those will be off-season discussions, but I think we’re excited about that opportunity.”
Burrow’s comments reached Higgins, who said he never ruled out returning to Cincinnati. Higgins supposedly did it request an exchange after the Bengals franchise initially tagged him last offseason.
“That’s cool. It would be exciting to come back here and everything,” Higgins said. “Greetings Joe.”
When asked if it’s feasible for the Bengals to keep Burrow, Higgins and fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase, Higgins said that’s “an uphill question. I have no idea.”
Chase, who leads the NFL this season with 15 touchdown receptions, is also due to sign a new deal and is expected to be compensated as one of (if not the) highest-paid player at his position. Higgins’ projected market value is $18.8 million a year for five years, according to Spotrac. That’s a bargain for a player of Higgins’ caliber.
Higgins, a two-time 1,000-yard receiver, was part of Burrow’s 2020 draft class. The two have played an integral role in the franchise’s rise from a bottom team to a perennial AFC contender. Burrow, who is enjoying his best season to date, knows what Higgins’ presence means to him and his teammates.
“You feel his presence when he’s out there,” Burrow said. “You feel how it affects a defense. You feel how it affects the defensive coordinator’s decisions. Even if he’s not super productive on a night, teams have to worry about him… A defense is worried about him, and you feel that.”
While they’re not out of the woods, Bengals fans who were worried about losing Higgins can breathe a small sigh of relief. Higgins wants to stay, and the team’s franchise quarterback will do his part to make that happen.
