Tee Higgins has already stepped into the limelight as the biggest offseason storyline for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Some of that is due to Higgins’ teammates, of course, with Joe Burrow recently going very publicly to bat about the team re-signing the star wide receiver.
Ja’Marr Chase has been right there, too, saying he needs Higgins back and head coach Zac Taylor said similar things in his end-of-season presser this week, too.
Higgins himself has responded to the love from all involved during an interview with Bleacher Report’s Scott Polacek.
“Them telling me that they want me to come back, man, it’s family,” Higgins said. “We’ve been playing together for three or four years now, and I personally would love to be back playing with those guys. It’s not in my hands now, but when the time comes and Cincinnati is there, that’s the number one option right now.”
Higgins returning for at least one season is effectively guaranteed. The Bengals are likely to use the franchise tag to retain him if the two sides can’t reach a long-term extension before free agency opens — following the same trajectory as Jessie Bates in recent years, who happens to share an agent with Higgins.
In his comments earlier this week, Burrow pointed out that the future of the team was something discussed before he inked his own major extension last offseason.
Clearly, the No. 1 option preferred by all parties is Higgins getting back under contract in some fashion for the 2024 season, at a minimum.
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