Bengals WR Tee Higgins clears the air regarding contract rumors
It's not just Joe Burrow the Cincinnati Bengals are focused on making happy this offseason. Wide receiver Tee Higgins is also due for a major pay raise prior to the season starting. Entering his fourth year in the NFL, Higgins has established himself as one of the premier receivers in the game, and his upcoming […]
It's not just Joe Burrow the Cincinnati Bengals are focused on making happy this offseason. Wide receiver Tee Higgins is also due for a major pay raise prior to the season starting.
Entering his fourth year in the NFL, Higgins has established himself as one of the premier receivers in the game, and his upcoming contract extension will reflect that. The question remains: when will it get done?
Earlier in the offseason, rumors emerged and went viral about Higgins' deal being done and ready. Higgins never commented on the noise up until this afternoon following the team's second OTA practice of the offseason.
"Yeah, I had a lot of people texting me, man. But I didn’t text them back. I knew there wasn’t nothing there," Higgins said when asked about the rumors. "My mom texted me and was like, 'You got a deal done, son?' I was like, 'Mom, if I had a deal done you'd be the first to know.'"
What makes the most sense is that the Bengals will prioritize getting the Burrow deal done first. He's the quarterback, the most valuable player on the roster, and obviously will be the most expensive player in franchise (possibly even NFL) history.
Once that deal is finalized and signed, the front office will shift its focus to Higgins, who is likely commanding salaries similar to DK Metcalf and Deebo Samuel. But just because Burrow isn't signed yet doesn't mean talks haven't occurred between the team and Higgins.
The negotiations also haven't stopped Higgins from putting in work with his teammates during OTAs.
"My agent was even like, 'Do what you want to do. It’s what you want to do. I’m not going to tell you what to do.' That was my decision to come back and come work out," Higgins said of attending team practices this week.
In a nutshell, Higgins isn't worried about getting a deal done, and there's likely been more progress than we can tell on the surface. But a deal getting signed will likely happen following Burrow's deal getting done, and not prior.
