It’s true that the Bengals, coming off a gut-wrenching loss to Kansas City in this year’s conference championship, find themselves at a crossroads of sorts, needing to pay Tee Higgins, Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, all of whom have outgrown their rookie deals. Of the three, Higgins, a two-time 1,000-yard receiver who won a national title at Clemson prior to his arrival in Cincinnati, is the closest to free agency (2024) and arguably the most expendable.
Beat writer Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic speculated earlier this month that Higgins could be a trade candidate if his contract demands are “outrageous,” potentially following the same blueprint the Titans laid out last year when they dealt A.J. Brown to Philadelphia for draft picks. However, as he articulated during his press conference Tuesday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin assured teams plotting a similar heist are barking up the wrong tree, emphatically rebuffing any and all overtures for Higgins.
“I’m in the business of making the Cincinnati Bengals better. So trading Tee Higgins is not on my mind,” said Tobin, insisting Higgins isn’t going anywhere on his watch. “That’s their problem. You want a receiver? Go find your own. Tee Higgins is a good piece for the Cincinnati Bengals. So the trade stuff is a little ridiculous.”
Even faced with the looming prospect of Higgins’ departure in free agency, becoming the subject of a high-stakes bidding war next offseason, the Bengals are obligated to run it back, keeping their core intact for at least one more run at the Lombardi before their championship window slams shut. Higgins, for his part, has said that he hopes to be a Bengal for a long time, though, given the financial tightrope they’re walking, keeping him in the chili capital would undoubtedly require some level of compromise. As it stands, the talented 24-year-old should be among the most coveted receivers available when and if he reaches the open market.
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