Bengals WR Tee Higgins has made it clear that he wants to re-sign with the team and keep their core pieces intact, including TE Mike Gesicki.
“Yeah, of course, we all want to keep the core pieces what it is, even with Mike Gesicki. That’s a core piece as well. So obviously, we want to build something here in Cincy,” Higgins said, via FOX19’s Joe Danneman. “But you know, it’s not in my hands right now. So I gotta do what I need to do, and if that’s go to another team, that’s what happens.”
“Obviously I would love to be here in Cincinnati,” Higgins added. “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.”
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the general consensus is Higgins will have a market of around $30 million per year if he makes it to unrestricted free agency.
One league executive did disagree with the consensus and estimated Higgins’ value as similar to the three-year, $75 million deal signed by Eagles WR DeVonta Smith.
Although Bengals QB Joe Burrow has been adamant about his desire to keep Higgins, de facto GM Duke Tobin admitted recently there would be some serious challenges to making the math work.
“It’s going to be hard,” Tobin said, via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “We feel like we have the resources to do it, but it all depends on how the negotiation goes and whether they’re willing to accept wanting to come back at a number that makes sense for everybody. And you know what we do with Tee going forward, I’ve always been very upfront in my desire to have Tee Higgins on our team. I’ve never not been upfront about that, and that desire continues, but we have to be able to come together with his representation on what that means and what the right number is for his experience, for his play time, for his production.”
Higgins, 25, is a former second-round pick by the Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Clemson. He finished the final year of a four-year, $8,686,785 rookie contract and made a base salary of $2,993,000 in 2023.
He was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2024 when the Bengals placed the franchise tag on him, which cost the team around $21.8 million fully guaranteed for the 2024 season.
In 2024, Higgins appeared in 12 games for the Bengals and recorded 73 receptions on 109 targets for 911 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns.
We have him included in our Top 100 2025 NFL Free Agents list.
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