Duke Tobin meticulously hints at how the Bengals can re-sign Tee Higgins
Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin doesn't just have extensions for Ja'Marr Chase and Trey Hendrickson to focus on, there's a more pressing matter warranting attention with Tee Higgins. The franchise tender Higgins signed last year is set to expire in the coming weeks. If the Bengals decide not to place a second […]
Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin doesn't just have extensions for Ja'Marr Chase and Trey Hendrickson to focus on, there's a more pressing matter warranting attention with Tee Higgins.
The franchise tender Higgins signed last year is set to expire in the coming weeks. If the Bengals decide not to place a second franchise tag on him, he'll be scheduled to hit free agency where he'd be exposed to contract offers Cincinnati wants no part in competing with.
Right now, the Bengals are competing with themselves in figuring out what a long-term contract for Higgins looks like. And thanks to Tobin, there's at least an idea of what that
Tobin is notoriously careful with his verbiage, but when asked by The Enquirer's Kelsey Conway about the chances of keeping Chase and Higgins together, Cincinnati's long-time de facto general manager managed to disperse some breadcrumbs.
"It's going to be hard," Tobin said. "We feel like we have the resources to do it, but it all depends on how the negotiation goes and whether they're willing to accept wanting to come back at a number that makes sense for everybody. And you know what we do with Tee going forward, I've always been very upfront in my desire to have Tee Higgins on our team. I've never not been upfront about that, and that desire continues, but we have to be able to come together with his representation on what that means and what the right number is for his experience, for his play time, for his production. And let's find something that works for everybody, because he is a guy that we want to have here, and hopefully that can come together, but we have other guys who are trying to take big bites of the apple in other areas, and we're going to have to balance those as we go forward."
That's a tall paragraph. Let's parse through it the fluff and identify the sentences that really matter.
"We feel like we have the resources to do it, but it all depends on how the negotiation goes and whether they're willing to accept wanting to come back at a number that makes sense for everybody."
This pretty much encapsulates it all right here. The Bengals have the cash and salary cap space to make a Higgins extension work, but as it's been for the past two years, it comes down to whether or not Higgins wants to accept what the Bengals are offering.
While Tobin and the front office realize that Chase has more leverage to ask for more than what Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb signed for last year, they're not going to go that far to retain Higgins.
"We have to be able to come together with his representation on what that means and what the right number is for his experience, for his play time, for his production."
Further expansion on that thought involves Higgins' new representation, the same agency that represents Chase. The presumed roadblock in past negotiations between Higgins and the club was his former agent, David Mulugheta. Higgins' choice to change representation signals he's willing to listen to an offer closer to what the Bengals are willing to give him.
Not only do the Bengals see Chase and Higgins on different tiers of productivity, but Higgins' recent history of injuries also factors into the equation. Other teams who don't have Chase will be willing to pay Higgins close to what Chase will end up signing for, but the Bengals will be less inclined since, well, they do have Chase.
"We have other guys who are trying to take big bites of the apple in other areas, and we're going to have to balance those as we go forward."
This is a staple sentiment for Cincinnati. It wouldn't be a Bengals executive statement on contracts without mentioning the pie, or in this case, the apple. It's not infinite, and everyone wants a piece of it. Whatever food analogy you want to use, it represents the salary cap.
Chase and Hendrickson are the obvious "other guys" trying to take big bites, but the team is still in need of new faces on defense in free agency.
The Bengals don't have unlimited cash or cap space, but the way they structure contracts ensures they don't maximize cap space either. It's something they constantly reinforce to the public without bluntly spelling it out.
The Bengals want Higgins back, and Higgins has made it evident he wants the same. If he desired to chase a bag this offseason (no pun intended), then there is no known reason for him to switch agents. Mulugheta is renowned for getting the most guarantees on the market for all positions. He would've had little issue doing the same for Higgins.
In order for the Bengals to comfortably get Higgins back, he'll have to play by their rules. There is no simpler translation for Tobin's answer.
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