Bengals' director of player personnel Duke Tobin gets real addressing Tee Higgins' future in Cincinnati
Last year, Duke Tobin stepped up to the podium at the NFL Scouting Combine and announced to the world he had no interest in trading Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. That was when Higgins was still under contract. Cincinnati's director of player personnel has a different tone on the subject of one of team's […]
Last year, Duke Tobin stepped up to the podium at the NFL Scouting Combine and announced to the world he had no interest in trading Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.
That was when Higgins was still under contract. Cincinnati's director of player personnel has a different tone on the subject of one of team's best pending free agents.
"We'll see what happens this year," Tobin said down at the Senior Bowl. "I want Tee Higgins back. Everyone on our team would like to have Tee Higgins back. Again, there's one pie and how big of a slice that takes and what else we can't do because of it, we'll have to determine and we'll see."
Tee Higgins' complicated future with Bengals
When contractual control is no longer on the table, everything else is. Higgins may be coming off a down year filled with injuries, but he would still command a serious market should he hit free agency. A to Z Sports salary cap experts Josh Queipo and Kyle Dediminicantanio project Higgins to command $45 million fully guaranteed should he sign a new deal this offseason.
The Bengals typically don't let pay those prices, but they also don't let those players walk as soon as possible.
After four years of playing under a rookie contract, Higgins is eligible to be the team's franchise player and given a one-year tender that's expected to be worth nearly $22 million. That's over double what his career earnings have been up to this point.
A.J. Green and Jessie Bates III are the most recent examples of Cincinnati utilizing the franchise tag. One was previously extended long-term, the other tried to reach a long-term extension with the club before moving on.
Higgins absolutely fits this category, which is why the tag appears to be the most likely outcome. The problem lies with that price impacting the proverbial pie Tobin mentioned.
Placing the tag on Higgins would significantly cut into the Bengals' salary cap space and cash on hand to use in free agency this year. Their effective cap space at the moment is just over $53 million. That gets diminished by nearly 40% if Higgins receives the tag.
A new contract, on the other hand, opens the door to this year's cap hit being smaller, allowing for more flexibility in the immediate future. Another variable worth considering for Tobin.
"He was a guy that we drafted for that reason, to be a contributor for us," Tobin said. "He’s not under contract now so we’re going to have to work through how to do that and if it’s possible and we’ll have to go through the gymnastics of that. So it’s a different scenario than it was last year. Trading a high-level player that’s under contract just because the future might demand it, that’s never really on my mind."
The only way Tobin and Co. could trade Higgins now would be to do so after placing the franchise tag on him, and that isn't likely to net the return the Bengals would want.
Higgins' representation and the Bengals' braintrust will likely re-engage in talks with the franchise tag window opening up in about three weeks. Their thoughts on Higgins may not have changed, but the situation on how to deal with him surely has.
Tee Higgins reveals why he wants to stay with Bengals
Higgins will cost a pretty penny, but the interest to stay is real.
