bengals news – Syndication Server

Tee Higgins makes head-turning comments about Bengals future

The Bengals WR finally met up with reporters about his contract situation.

In recent weeks, things have seemed a little more positive around the outlook for Tee Higgins and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Higgins, though, met with reporters around the time of the Super Bowl and gently walked the necessary tightrope ahead of his potential trip to free agency.

“Obviously, we want to build something here in Cincy, but it’s not in my hands right now,” Higgins told reporters, according to Fox 19’s Joe Danneman. “I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do and if that’s go to another team, you know, that’s what happens.”

Joe Burow’s endless wave of public pressure applied to the Bengals about keeping Higgins and others has changed the vibes around the situation ahead of the key offseason.

Higgins also commented on Burrow’s public support for himself and other members of the core.

“Yeah, of course, we all want to keep the core pieces what it is (right now) even with Mike Gesicki,” Higgins said. “That’s a core piece as well. So obviously, we want to build something here in Cincy. But you know, it’s not in my hands right now. So I got to do what I need to do and if that’s go to another team. That’s what happens.”

For Bengals fans, some of this will remind them of Jessie Bates’ interviews before he wound up leaving in free agency. That’s how this goes in February — the possible impending free agent needs to apply a little pressure of his own while keeping all options open.

The reality? Higgins is saying what he needs to say, but major roster-building problems (including Jermaine Burton), plenty of cap space and what Joe Burrow wants play a big role here and these comments shouldn’t sway those vibes.

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Bengals’ Joe Burrow spotted in New Orleans for Super Bowl weekend

Joe Burrow is out touring his old stomping grounds in NOLA.

Now that he’s done with the media tour that applied a bunch of pressure to his Cincinnati Bengals, quarterback Joe Burrow is out and about in New Orleans.

While Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase didn’t get that storybook return to the New Orleans area in the Super Bowl itself, it’s still a homecoming of sorts for the Bengals quarterback.

Onlookers constantly caught sight of Burrow from Saturday onward and shared some of the moments on social media.

One example comes from B/R Gridiron, which shared footage of Burrow in the street (and quickly amassed 2,000ish likes):

Joe Burrow is in NOLA for Super Bowl weekend pic.twitter.com/zGXEjUyjyC

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) February 8, 2025

Burrow also showed up on red carpets and otherwise:

“My brother played against you in the National Championship…I was four years old, five years old? It’s one of my first memories of my entire life.” – Joe Burrow to Ed Reed pic.twitter.com/vEl3nrG4EU

— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) February 8, 2025

Burrow won Comeback Player of the Year in the NFL Honors this week. When not doing that and touring NOLA, he kept putting pressure on the Bengals about contracts for Chase, Tee Higgins, Trey Hendrickson and Mike Gesicki.

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Joe Burrow isn’t just pressuring Bengals about contracts publicly

Details on how Joe Burrow is getting involved with the Bengals.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow isn’t taking it easy on the organization.

By now, fans have seen that Burrow spent an unusual amount of time in front of the cameras and microphones during Super Bowl media week. He put a ton of pressure on the team in the process as he seeks extensions for Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Trey Hendrickson and tight end Mike Gesicki.

Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz added some interesting context to this recently, pointing out that Burrow has been doing the same thing privately with the Bengals:

“League executives are well aware of the public pressure Joe Burrow has been applying to the Bengals since the season ended — and it has continued this week at Radio Row in New Orleans. Burrow has made it clear, both privately and publicly, that the team must do whatever it takes to keep its core intact. There’s frustration over key players leaving, and he wants to see Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson, and Mike Gesicki all taken care of.”

This is a nice additional layer of information not long after Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin recently noted that the star quarterback has been involved in the offseason process.

Does that mean Burrow will get 100 percent of what he wants? Probably not, but he’s not sitting idly by while the team goes about its business.

First up? Hendrickson’s agent will apparently meet with the Bengals next week.

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Joe Burrow crushed a grip test for fun just to silence doubters

And the grip test wasn’t lifting his new award.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has mentioned here and there over the last year that his surgically repaired wrist still limits him a bit.

Burrow being Burrow, he’s talking about the minutia when throwing certain routes and that sort of thing. His Comeback Player of the Year award and droves of game film from a near-MVP-like season say his wrist isn’t limiting him in any major way.

But during Super Bowl media days, Burrow actually took a grip strength test just for fun.

As CBS Sports’ John Breech pointed out, Burrow passed and almost surpassed some of the biggest names in the sport:

How good does Joe Burrow feel about his surgically repaired wrist? He was offered the chance to do a grip test on @CBSSportsHQ and gladly accepted (and he almost topped Justin Jefferson’s number) #Bengals pic.twitter.com/FZRkGk7pce

— John Breech (@johnbreech) February 6, 2025

Call it just more proof that Burrow’s wrist and grip strength are just fine.

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Joe Burrow with another stern message: ‘We don’t have time to wait around’

Are the Bengals hearing Joe Burrow? Message received?

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is relentless right now.

Bengals fans have surely noticed that Burrow has been in more interviews over the last two days around the Super Bowl than pretty much any other time in his career — combined.

Perhaps not even an hour after talking about being willing to change up his contract to help the Bengals afford guys like Trey Hendrickson and Tee Higgins, Burrow hit another interview and applied even more pressure on the front office.

“We need (Hendrickson) back,” Burrow said on ESPN’s First Take. “We need to give him what he’s worth and what he deserves. He’s earned that. And we need our young guys to come on. We need to draft well. We need guys to come in and produce immediately. We don’t have time to wait around.”

This one bites in more ways than one.

This isn’t Burrow just saying that he wants Hendrickson and Higgins back (which he also keeps saying about Ja’Marr Chase and tight end Mike Gesicki, too).

It’s also Burrow potentially taking a small shot at the team’s drafting over the last few years, which hasn’t delivered the roster prospects who can help right away.

Even if it’s not a criticism, it’s true — Myles Murphy and Dax Hill are some of the many examples.

Beyond all that, it’s Burrow stressing that the Bengals are in win-now mode. The fact he’s usually ducking publicity and instead taking every interview possible stresses the urgency around this franchise-altering offseason.

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Joe Burrow gets blunt about his contract and helping Bengals front office

Joe Burrow is willing to do what it takes if it means keeping Chase, Higgins and Hendrickson.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has made it painfully obvious about two things this offseason.

One: He wants the Bengals to find a way to get Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson under long-term contracts.

Two: Burrow is willing to dice up his contract to help the front office make it happen.

Burrow hit the interview circuit and was blunt about that second point during an interview with FS1, saying “of course” when asked if he would restructure his contract, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic.

“I want to make it happen,” Burrow said, per Dehner. “Everybody involved Trey, Tee, Ja’Marr, Mike G, we all want to stay together. When you have guys that are motivated like that I think you can get those things done.”

Since roughly December, when it was mostly clear the season was a loss, Burrow has been relentless in his public messaging to the Bengals on these topics, directly applying pressure on the front office.

Burrow’s contract restructure that would free up more in the way of funds to fuel other extensions has been one of the most common projections for the Bengals this offseason — and is usually a staple other contenders with star quarterback contracts do.

These latest comments, though, come after Hendrickson threw out an ultimatum to the Bengals during an interview the day prior due to poor communication from the front office about his future.

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Trey Hendrickson’s agent provides update on contract talks with Bengals

The latest on the Trey Hendrickson saga.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson ramped up the pressure on the front office this week during a public appearance.

During the interview, Hendrickson effectively threw out an extension-or-trade ultimatum while stressing that he absolutely does not want to leave the Bengals.

Hendrickson’s agent, Harold Lewis, followed up not long after by telling WLWT’s Charlie Clifford that he will meet with the Bengals next week.

“The ultimate goal is to make him a Bengal for the long-term,” Harold said, per Clifford.

The latest comes roughly a week after Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin spoke about Hendrickson and the earned pay raise coming his way.

Tobin, though, understandably, stressed that team and player have to agree on what exactly the raise looks like.

Hendrickson requested a trade last year before playing during the season and leading the NFL in sacks. He’s dramatically underpaid compared to his production, but the fact he’s hovering around the age of 30 and the Bengals have other big names to pay complicates things.

No matter how it turns out, fans could start to get some answers next week.

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Bengals announce roster move at position currently in the spotlight

The Bengals made a roster move during the week of the Super Bowl.

The Cincinnati Bengals made a roster move with a wide receiver on Tuesday.

No, not that one.

Or that one.

When the Bengals announced a roster move early this week, it was the signing of Mitchell Tinsley to a Reserve/Future contract.

Tinsley, a college free agent with Washington in 2023, played in two games for the Commanders that year before spending all of 2024 on the practice squad. In Cincinnati, he’ll serve as depth over the spring and summer before what could be big roster turnover at the position.

Given the timing of the move, Tinsley won’t count against the team’s active roster until February 10, the day after the Super Bowl.

Given how quickly Tee Higgins reportedly wants an answer about his future, more roster news could follow soon after that date.

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Ja’Marr Chase slips up with revealing comment about Bengals’ season

Ja’Marr Chase maybe said more than he intended to with this one.

Cincinnati Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase made an interesting comment during an interview at the Pro Bowl that hinted at some of the problems around the team this past season.

While the interview hit the glitzy stuff like whether his contract extension will surpass Justin Jefferson’s numbers, he also fielded a question about the team’s slow start.

“I don’t think we were ready to get into the season when we got into the season if I’m being honest,” Chase told SiriusXM NFL Radio.” “But we locked in when it was time to. But it wasn’t early enough.”

While it isn’t the wildest quote ever, it will annoy Bengals fans. Slow starts have plagued Zac Taylor’s time in Cincinnati, and while the head coach has admitted that fixing those issues is a priority this offseason, that doesn’t lessen the sting.

Also stinging? The fact Chase himself wasn’t necessarily up to speed for the start of the season. He had the “hold-in” over his contract all summer and wasn’t necessarily a lock to play in that Week 1 loss to New England.

Granted, Chase went on to have a Triple Crown season, so much of the frustration should be aimed at the Bengals’ front office for failing to get his extension done.

Either way, there is lots of blame to go around, and the Bengals simply cannot have star players needing to say things like this again one year from now.

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Joe Burrow uses Pro Bowl platform to put pressure on Bengals again

Joe Burrow was at it again…this time at the Pro Bowl.

Since the season seemed like a total loss, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow made a point to very publicly apply pressure to the team’s front office about contracts for teammates like Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson.

Burrow did it after games, mid-week during pressers, and at other times starting roughly in December and right on through to the end of the season.

Now he’s doing it at the Pro Bowl.

During ESPN’s broadcast after he competed in a skills competition, Burrow dropped the following: “I don’t know what more he could show and do to prove himself. We have several guys like that, who have stepped up for us, and deserve to be paid—deserve to be paid what they’re worth.”

Burrow was talking about Chase at first, of course, but it’s pretty obvious he was looping in Higgins and likely Hendrickson at the end there, too.

Rightfully, Burrow has been critical of the Bengals’ front office for past mistakes while letting big names such as Jessie Bates leave. Now, he’s gone public in a sort-of-subtle way with his warnings and/or pressure for the front office.

Bengals brass were at the Senior Bowl this week, too, and chatted about attempting to keep Burrow, Higgins and Chase together for the long-term, among other things.

Burrow, it seems, wanted to add another gentle reminder in front of a national audience.

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