Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow has made his feelings regarding Tee Higgins abundantly clear: He wants the team to re-sign the star receiver over the offseason. But, Burrow continues to drive the point home when he gets an opportunity. During his final media availability of 2024, Burrow sent another clear message to Cincinnati's front office regarding Higgins, and how big of a mistake it would be to allow him to leave.
Joe Burrow doesn't want to see the Bengals let Tee Higgins slip away
"Whenever a great player leaves you wish you could have found a way to keep him," Burrow said. "You don't want to make a living out of letting great players leave the building. And I think that's why you gotta do everything you can to get those deals done early."
The Bengals have a recent history of allowing talent to slip through their fingertips. The team allowed safety Jessie Bates III to sign with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency in 2023. Bates has thrived in Atlanta, while safety has been a problem area for Cincinnati ever since. Similarly, the team allowed D.J. Reader to sign with the Detroit Lions last offseason, and he's been missed.
Burrow clearly doesn't want Higgins to become the next guy on the list of players that the Bengals let slip away, and he remains optimistic that Cincinnati's Week 18 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers won't be Higgins' last regular season game in a Bengals uniform.
"It's obviously a possibility," Burrow said. "Not one that I'm excited about, but that's not in the plans, I would say."
Burrow's voice carries a lot of weight within the Bengals organization, and this is the loudest he's ever been -- at least publicly -- when it comes to personnel decisions. At this point, if the Bengals don't bring back Higgins, not only will they lose an extremely dangerous weapon, but they'll also run the risk of upsetting their franchise quarterback. That's assuredly the last thing that they want to do.
When it comes to the negotiating table, Higgins has helped his own cause this season. Despite missing five games with injury issues, Higgins has still secured a career-high 10 touchdowns to go along with 858 yards on 69 receptions. His value to an offense has been extremely evident every time he's been out on the field. As a result, some team is going to give him a hefty payday. The question is if that team will be the Bengals.