Over the course of the offseason, one of the top storylines for the Cincinnati Bengals has been in regards to wide receiver Tee Higgins and his contract situation.
Higgins entered the offseason as a free agent, but the Bengals opted to place the franchise tag on him. With the franchise tag comes a whole lot of questions and possibilities.
If Higgins played this year out on the tag, he'd make $21.8 million for the 2024 season. But, Higgins is not likely concerned about solely this upcoming campaign. He'd, of course, like long-term security.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, would have to come to the conclusion that they'd be willing to pay both Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase top dollar on long-term deals, which might not be in the best interest of the team in the big picture.
It appears Tee Higgins and the Bengals aren't even communicating at the moment
ESPN's Matt Miller recently wrote a column about some things he's hearing about each team leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, and had this to say about the Bengals and Higgins:
"A source close to the Higgins situation told me the two sides haven't talked yet, making it unclear if the Bengals will move Higgins, but that person also noted the team believes it is in win-now mode and can challenge the Chiefs for the AFC title this season with Higgins on the roster."
Miller also went on to note that Chase needs a new contract and that could "even open the door for the Bengals to draft a receiver in Round 1 to replace Higgins if Cincinnati can't afford both pass-catchers."
So, the Bengals still feel like they can win a Super Bowl at this very moment, which is why keeping Higgins for 2024 is in the cards.
But, will Higgins choose to play this season on the tag? We've seen players threaten to sit out if they don't get long-term security, and that's certainly an option for Higgins.
He could also try and force his way out of Cincinnati by way of trade, which is another potential outcome. For now, we're not sure exactly what's happening. But, after the draft, we might know a lot more about Cincinnati's plans for Higgins' immediate future.