Former Bengals All Pro sends important message to Cincinnati WR Tee Higgins
Former Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates had a message this week for wide receiver Tee Higgins, his former teammate in Cincy. Bates, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons ahead of the 2023 season, was teammates with Higgins in Cincinnati from 2020 to 2022. And he knows a thing or two about what Higgins is going […]
Former Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates had a message this week for wide receiver Tee Higgins, his former teammate in Cincy.
Bates, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons ahead of the 2023 season, was teammates with Higgins in Cincinnati from 2020 to 2022.
And he knows a thing or two about what Higgins is going through this offseason.
The Bengals placed the franchise tag on Higgins earlier this offseason. Higgins, who is seeking a longterm deal, hasn't signed the franchise tag yet which means he can't participate in organized team activities.
Bates went through the exact same situation in Cincinnati ahead of the 2022 season.
After the 2021 season, the Bengals placed the franchise tag on Bates after not being able to come to an agreement on a longterm deal with the former Wake Forest standout.
Bates didn't sign his franchise tag until August 23, just a few weeks before the start of the 2022 season.
Earlier this week, Bates was asked about Higgins' situation with the Bengals and he had some sage advice for his former teammate.
"I've been through that process through the franchise tag," said Bates (via ESPN's Marc Raimondi). "And I let it weigh on me a little bit more than I should have and it affected my play and how I was living my day-to-day life. So, my thing for Tee is just, I mean, work on your craft, it don't matter. If this is the contract year, I say it every time: Every year is a contract year. You should go out there and ball out and train like this is one of your last years to play.”
Bates added that he thinks Higgins will "get his pay day".
Higgins is represented by David Mulugheta of Athletes First, which is the same agent that represents Bates.
That's why Bengals fans should expect the Higgins saga to play out similarly to the Bates saga two summers ago — with Higgins eventually signing his franchise tag near the end of preseason action.
It's certainly possible that Higgins could take a different approach than Bates. But based on how things have gone so far this offseason, it seems like following the same path as Bates is the most likely outcome for Higgins.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins plans to do exactly what he’s expected to do with OTAs around the corner
Higgins has yet to sign the franchise tender for Cincinnati.
