Report: ‘Feeling’ Tee Higgins Leaves Bengals in NFL FA to Fund Ja’Marr Chase Contract
The Cincinnati Bengals have two elite wide receivers who will be looking to get paid this offseason, but only one of them will likely get the deal they want from their current team.
Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the “feeling” in NFL circles right now is the Bengals will allow Higgins to leave as a free agent to allocate financial resources for a Ja’Marr Chase extension.
The Bengals haven’t exactly hidden the fact they don’t plan to keep both of their star receivers on the roster for the long-term. Higgins, who is currently playing on the franchise tag, has been extension eligible since after the 2022 season.
After seeking a trade last offseason when the Bengals placed the franchise tag on him, Higgins rescinded his request and decided to play on the one-year tender.
“I had time to reflect and think. I had long talks with my agent. A lot of back and forth about what I wanted to do,” Higgins said of his decision. “I just made the decision to sign the tag. At the end of the day, I just wanted to come out here and try to win a Super Bowl. I’m happy with the decision I made. I’m here for the Bengals for the 2024 season. I’m ready to get it done and get with my guys.”
Bengals ownership hasn’t historically been open to paying for multiple top-tier players, to say nothing of the difficulty in a salary cap league of keeping two receivers who could realistically get deals worth at least $30 million annually.
Trey Hendrickson, who also asked for a trade early in the offseason due to a contract dispute, is only signed through 2025. His value has only increased this season since he has been the only viable pass-rusher the Bengals have right now.
Chase had extension talks with the Bengals during the offseason, but the two sides were unable to come to terms.
Per James Rapien of SI.com, the Bengals and Chase came close to an agreement on a four-year, $140 million pact with $90 million guaranteed, which included a $30 million signing bonus.
Talks fell apart over when the guaranteed money would kick in because the Bengals wanted to push it further down the line, which offered Chase no protection in the event of a major injury.
The top of the market for wide receivers now starts at $30 million. Justin Jefferson is the highest-paid wideout at $35 million per season on his deal with the Minnesota Vikings.
Cincinnati does have Joe Burrow locked in to a long-term deal when he signed a five-year, $275 million extension in September 2023.
Higgins’ exact value is difficult to pin down because he has missed 10 games since the start of the 2023 season due to injuries, but his performance when he plays is undeniable.
The 25-year-old is averaging a career-high 81.5 yards per game this season. He had a season-high 148 yards and a touchdown on nine catches in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
There are plenty of receiver-needy teams that will be happy to pay Higgins this offseason when he is expected to become a free agent.
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