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The Cincinnati Bengals are solely focused on winning out the rest of the season with the hope of sneaking into the playoffs.
However, the reality for star wide receiver Tee Higgins is that he will be a free agent no matter how the season shakes out for Cincinnati, begging the question of whether he finds a home elsewhere or stays put.
That has been a topic hanging over the Bengals’ heads all season long, and it is something quarterback Joe Burrow and fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase have both commented on.
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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, #9, talks with wide receiver Tee Higgins, #5, after a play as the punting team takes the field in the second quarter of the NFL Week 11 game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (IMAGN)
Burrow said he would be "very disappointed" to see Higgins playing for another team, and Chase reiterated that point before the win over the Tennessee Titans this weekend.
"Yeah, 100%, I feel like he deserves to be here," Chase told reporters about Higgins. "He wants to be here, but at the end of the day, that’s not in my control. I just hope the best for him. I hope he can stay. We keep this going."
Chase added that Higgins is a missing piece to this successful offensive trio if he leaves, saying "we have built chemistry this long, chemistry with Joe, so the chemistry is there already."
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So, how does Higgins feel about hearing his teammates sticking up for him with this contract negotiation process on the horizon?
"Man, it means a lot," Higgins told Fox News Digital while helping give out bikes to kids at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati with Raising Cane’s. "It shows those guys got mad love for me, and I’m an asset to this team. I really appreciate them."
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, #5, leaps into the end zone past Tennessee Titans cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, #13, during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (imagn)
Bengals fans obviously understand the impact that Higgins makes, and like Chase said, the ability to run it back with the same trio helps the team’s chances at having a better year than they have in 2025.
That feeling picked up steam when Higgins moved on from agent David Mulugheta to sign with Rocky Arceneaux – the same agent who represents Chase. Chase is also looking to cash in on a new contract as he is set to play on his fifth-year option in 2025.
However, will Cincinnati want to pay both Chase and Higgins, the latter of which has a $18.3 million market value, while the former can possibly be the highest-paid receiver when he signs a new deal as well?
In just nine games this season – as Higgins has battled some injuries – he has 669 yards on 50 catches with six touchdowns.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, #5, salutes the Cincinnati Bengals fans who traveled against the Tennessee Titans post game at Nissan Stadium. (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images)
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Albeit a down year by his standards in 2023, the 25-year-old has two 1,000-yard seasons with 30 total touchdowns over five seasons.
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