Zac Taylor officially voices his support of a major decision the Bengals will have to make this offseason
It won't take the entire offseason to find out if the Cincinnati Bengals will have wide receiver Tee Higgins for the 2025 season. The Bengals can re-sign Higgins at any point before free agency begins in March, and can place a second franchise tag on him in late February.Quarterback Joe Burrow has stated multiple times […]
It won't take the entire offseason to find out if the Cincinnati Bengals will have wide receiver Tee Higgins for the 2025 season. The Bengals can re-sign Higgins at any point before free agency begins in March, and can place a second franchise tag on him in late February.
Quarterback Joe Burrow has stated multiple times retaining Higgins is a need, even with Ja'Marr Chase's upcoming massive contract and the defensive side of the ball in need of a makeover.
Burrow is certainly a major voice for the team, but the voice is head coach Zac Taylor. It appears those two are sending the same message on the subject.
Zac Taylor speaks on Bengals bringing back Tee Higgins
Cincinnati's had trouble reaching a contract with Higgins over the past two years, so much to the point where those on the outside aren't as sure ownership is ready and willing to restart those negotiations, even with a new agency representing him.
When asked about potentially lobbying the front office to sign Higgins (and Chase) as soon as possible, Taylor provided some hope on the matter.
“I think 'lobby' is not the right word,” Taylor told reporters Monday. “We are lockstep in how we communicate every week of the season, every week of the offseason. So those are conversations that we'll have.
“I'm very hopeful that'll work out to where we are able to get him back.”
Taylor's side of the team did its part this season. His offense led by Burrow, Chase, and Higgins carried the roster to nine wins despite losing several times with 30+ points on the board. Higgins' inclusion of that is enough proof of concept to the decision-makers who will make or break this offseason entirely.
That trio has been the branding of the Bengals for a while, and Taylor made this even more apparent when he made all three coin toss captains during the final five weeks of the season, a decision that should send a message to the front office in and of itself.
The Bengals went 5-0 in those games. Calling it a coincidence is fair, so long as you accept that the team is better with all three on it.
Higgins is the key variable, the one with the least amount of certainty regarding his future. Burrow has done his part with his voice, and now Taylor's doing his.
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