Tee Higgins will not be playing football in Cincinnati the next season if he gets his way. According to prominent NFL analyst Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Bengals wide receiver has asked for a trade because the team hasn’t discussed a long-term contract extension with him.
Higgins was assigned a franchise tag by the Bengals prior to the commencement of free agency. With the tag, he will earn $21.8 million, but naturally, that will only get him a one-year contract.
Higgins was initially the Bengals’ top target for the Pro Bowl quarterback and subsequently the No. 2 pass-catcher behind Joe Burrow after being selected near the top of the second round of the same draft in which the team also selected franchise quarterback Joe Burrow.
Ja’Marr Chase. In his four NFL seasons, he has caught 257 passes for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns. His greatest seasons were 2021 and 2022, when he totaled 74 receptions for over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns. Despite his inefficiencies and injury struggles in 2023, he should still be playing his best football at age 25.
His ability to be a top-tier option in a top-tier passing game should pique the eye of any team in need of wide receiver assistance. Of course, the Bengals are not obligated to move Higgins in spite of the request, but transactions involving players in comparable circumstances frequently materialize.
