NFL Trade Rumors: Cincinnati Bengals Expected to Retain Wide Receiver Tee Higgins

The Cincinnati Bengals front office has been put on notice. Following the Bengals' 27-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow expressed confidence his team would "do what it takes" to retain impending free agent wide receiver Tee Higgins.

Joe Burrow with a postgame bombshell:

“I’m confident we are going to do what it takes to get Tee (Higgins) back (in 2025).”

Said he is willing to do what it takes to make that happen. Mega statement. pic.twitter.com/GwpGSTQpBy
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) December 10, 2024

Higgins is currently playing on the franchise tag and will very likely hit unrestricted free agency this offseason. The Bengals can apply a second consecutive franchise tag to retain exclusive negotiating rights with Higgins, but that would cost them upwards of $26 million on a one-year deal.

Burrow's declaration is a surprisingly firm statement from a quarterback. Typically, players of his stature try not to meddle in front-office affairs beyond wish-casting. Burrow has laid out very clear expectations regarding Higgins, even going so far as to communicate that he's willing to play his part. That puts a lot of pressure on ownership and director of player personnel Duke Tobin to get a deal done. Failure to do so at this point could only be seen as a failure of management.

Complicating matters is the fact that Higgins hasn't quite played up to elite standards of late. After a promising beginning to his career, the 2020 second-round pick has seen his production and efficiency decline over the past two seasons. His 61.6 receiving yards per game and 8.3 yards per target since 2023 don't necessarily merit breaking the bank. In fact, there's a case to be made the Bengals should be looking for an upgrade in the draft.

The Bengals are in a tricky spot. Clearly, Burrow doesn't want to break up the offensive core that helped put him on the map. However, that core hasn't gotten the job done lately: The Bengals are 14-16 since 2023. Committing a massive portion of their salary cap to Higgins will only make it harder for the Bengals to build out the rest of their roster, which will make pulling themselves out of their current downward spiral all the more improbable.

Unfortunately for the Bengals, Burrow may have just forced their hand. Even if letting Higgins go and replacing him with cheaper talent were the better roster decision, the narrative has now changed. Failure to retain Higgins will be seen as a disservice to Burrow and the fanbase. Ultimately, the Bengals have no choice but to placate their quarterback, even if it holds back the team.