In an ideal world, the Cincinnati Bengals would lock up star receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on long-term extensions to complement quarterback Joe Burrow, who signed the richest contract in the history of the NFL last season. But, while the team plans to ultimately agree to an extension with Chase, Higgins might end up being the odd man out.
Higgins will play the 2024 season out under the franchise tag after failing to reach an agreement on an extension before the July 15 deadline, and then he'll hit free agency next offseason. While speaking with media members ahead of training camp, Bengals president Mike Brown emphasized the fact that while the team would like to keep Higgins in Cincinnati, the money might not work out.
Not enough pie to go around
"The pie is not going to grow. It's only going to be a certain size, but when you reach a point with your quarterback that you have to pay him a big contract, that takes a disproportionate piece out of the pie," Brown said. "Which means you have less left to pay the others. Sometimes that impacts whether you can get the others signed.
"You can't just pay people willy nilly," he added. "You're restricted on how much you can pay, and we really like Tee Higgins. We would wish to sign him, but it has to be at a certain level to fit within the cap or it can't be done."
These sounds like words from a man who knows that Higgins is likely to get offers from others teams in free agency that the Bengals simply won't be able to match, and at the end of the day, no one could blame Higgins for wanting to maximize his money. NFL players get a very finite amount of time to cash in on their athletic abilities, because once those start to fade, the money dries up quickly.
In all likelihood, the 2024 season will be Higgins' last in Cincinnati, and Brown is well aware of this. The good news for the Bengals is that Higgins should be majorly motivated to perform, because the better he plays out on the field, the more leverage he'll have at the negotiating table next offseason. If this is about to be Higgins' last season in Cincinnati, hopefully he goes out with a bang.