Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is set to become a free agent this offseason. Barring the Bengals placing the franchise tag on him again, Higgins will have the chance to join another team come March.
Higgins has said he wants to stay in Cincinnati, and keep playing alongside Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, but knows it’s out of his control. “Obviously I would love to be here in Cincinnati,” Higgins said this week. “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.”
The primary complication for Higgins staying with the Bengals is that Cincinnati is also expected to pay Chase this offseason. Chase was the best receiver in the NFL in 2024, and is likely to receive the hefty contract he is deserving of. But Higgins is also deserving of No. 1 wide receiver money, and the Bengals might not be willing or able to afford Higgins the salary he wants while also paying Burrow and Chase.
Ahead of what should be an eventful offseason for Higgins, and potential contract negotiations with Cincinnati, Higgins posted a five-word message on his X account: “Ima let yall know first.”
Ima let yall know first
— Tee Higgins⁵ (@teehiggins5) February 11, 2025
The post has already garnered a couple of notable replies, including from NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, who commented “Me?”
Former Bengals receiver Chad Johnson reposted Higgins’s tweet saying: “Let me know first.”
Several members of the Bengals brass have said they want Higgins back. This includes head coach Zac Taylor and director of player personnel Duke Tobin, who believes it will come down to negotiations with their star No. 2 receiver.
“We feel like we have the resources to do it,” Tobin said to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer in January, “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.”
Burrow has also been consistently vocal about keeping his receivers with them and paying them what they deserve. He has even pointed out that the salary cap is rising, which could help get the deals done.
If the Bengals and Higgins get a deal done, it will be a huge step in keeping the NFL’s No. 1 passing offense together. If they are unable to agree on an extension, Higgins will be one of the most coveted receivers in free agency.
