Joe Burrow Makes Strong Statement About Tee Higgins’s Future With Bengals After Win

Higgins, playing the 2024 season on the franchise tag, will become a free agent at the conclusion of the league year.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow looks toward wide receiver Tee Higgins while coming off the field in the second quarter of a Week 2 NFL football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow looks toward wide receiver Tee Higgins while coming off the field in the second quarter of a Week 2 NFL football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Even amidst a disappointing season that has the Cincinnati Bengals on the outside looking in for a playoff spot in the AFC, Joe Burrow is enjoying one of the most productive seasons of his career. And Burrow, after leading the Bengals to a 27-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, made it clear that he understands how paramount three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase and fellow talented wideout Tee Higgins are to his success.

Speaking to reporters, Burrow said he hopes the team is able to bring back Chase, with whom the team unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate a long-term contract this past offseason. Of course, paying Chase top receiver money could make a long-term commitment to Higgins difficult. But Burrow said he's "confident" the Bengals will do what it takes, adding that he plans to be involved in the process when Higgins becomes a free agent at the conclusion of the league year in March.

"Those discussions are ongoing," Burrow said. "I'm confident that I think we're going to be able to do what it takes to bring Tee [Higgins] back. And I know that I'm gonna do what it takes to get him back and so is he. We've had those talks. So, those are going to be offseason discussions."

"But I think we're excited about that opportunity."

Higgins, 25, has two 1,000-yard campaigns in five NFL seasons, and was seeking long-term security from the team in the form of a contract, but little progress was made on that front at the beginning of this past offseason, leading Higgins to request a trade. With a long-term deal not in the cards and a trade even less likely, Higgins in June signed the one-year franchise tag, later saying he did so to "kill the noise."

So, it's no secret what Higgins desires this offseason—it's just a matter of if the long-term deal is feasible for the Bengals financially.

In Burrow's eyes, Higgins is an elite talent at the position, one who commands respect from defenses even when he's not filling up the stat sheet, as was the case during his 23-yard effort on Monday.

"Yeah, you feel his presence when he's out there," Burrow said. "You feel his presence. You feel how it affects the defense. You feel how it affects the defensive coordinators' calls. Even if he's not super productive on a night, teams have to worry about him.

"His presence ... The defense is worried about him. And you feel that."


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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.