(Audacy) Coming off a loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, the Bengals find themselves at a crossroads of sorts, needing to pay quarterback Joe Burrow, receiver Ja’Marr Chase and receiver Tee Higgins, all of whom have outgrown their rookie deals. Of the three, Higgins is the closest to free agency (2024) and arguably the most expendable.
With that in mind, some have speculated that Higgins could be a trade candidate. However, as he articulated during his press conference Tuesday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin emphatically rebuffed any and all overtures for Higgins.
“I’m in the business of making the Cincinnati Bengals better," Tobin said. "So trading Tee Higgins is not on my mind. 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.”
For his part, the 24-year-old Higgins has expressed his hope to be a Bengal for a long time, though given the financial tightrope the team is walking, keeping him would likely require some level of compromise. Higgins had 74 catches for 1,029 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games in 2022.
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