Tee Higgins echos what Joe Burrow said about the Bengals needing to re-sign key impending free agent
The biggest winner from Cincinnati Bengals players speaking publicly during Super Bowl week might have been tight end Mike Gesicki. Joe Burrow name-dropped Gesicki last week while making the rounds at Radio Row, including his appearance on FS1's Breakfast Ball, when discussing his thoughts on the front office being able to retain its best players […]
The biggest winner from Cincinnati Bengals players speaking publicly during Super Bowl week might have been tight end Mike Gesicki. Joe Burrow name-dropped Gesicki last week while making the rounds at Radio Row, including his appearance on FS1's Breakfast Ball, when discussing his thoughts on the front office being able to retain its best players around him.
"We have the cap space to get it done," Burrow said. "I wanna make it happen, everybody involved. Trey [Hendrickson], Tee [Higgins], Ja'Marr [Chase], Mike G. We all wanna stay together."
Considering the first three names Burrow listed are set to earn massive contracts this offseason, the inclusion of Gesicki should speak volumes about how Cincinnati's franchise quarterback feels about him.
The sentiment is shared with the Bengals' franchise player from last year, also known as Tee Higgins himself.
Tee Higgins advocates for the Bengals to keep Mike Gesicki
Before a decision is reached on Gesicki, the situation with Higgins will need to be resolved first. Higgins can be franchise-tagged a second time as early as next week should the Bengals go down that route again.
Higgins knows he can only do so much now that the season is over, but he's aligned with Burrow's message of maintaining continuity, including Gesicki.
"We all want to keep the core pieces what it is," Higgins said. "You know, even with Mike Gesicki. I mean, that's a core piece as well."
While Higgins and Burrow have been in town since 2020 and Chase and Hendrickson entered the picture a year later, Gesicki has only been in the locker room for 11 months. He posted 65 receptions for 665 yards and two touchdowns as one of Burrow's top targets. 26 receptions and 229 yards came during the team's five-game win streak to close the season out while Chase and Higgins were producing alongside him.
Gesicki did enough to warrant support for his return, and considering he'll be way more affordable to retain compared to the other three, there's a good chance the front office will be able to hold up this end of the bargain.
It'll be a bit tougher to get Higgins locked in, which the 26-year old seems to be well aware of with free agency mere weeks away.
"Obviously, we want to build something here in Cincy, but it's not in my hands right now," Higgins said. "So I got to do what I need to do, if that's go to another team, that's what happens.
"Obviously I would love to be here in Cincinnati. I love it here. I love the city, I love the fans, I love the coaching staff, everything in the building. But it's not in my control."
If Higgins gets his wish, he'll have a long-term contract to reunite with the teammates he knows. He won't want you to forget Gesicki in that group.
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