The Cincinnati Bengals decision to lock star wide receiver Tee Higgins up on a four-year contract came as a surprise to many, including Higgins' own agent, Rocky Arceneaux.
Once the Bengals designated Higgins as a franchise player for a second consecutive season, Arceneaux was under the impression that they did so to ultimately trade him based on previous conversations.
Rocky Arceneaux was under the impression that Bengals would try to trade Tee Higgins following franchise tag
However, Arceneaux quickly realized that the Bengals weren't operating like a team that wanted to trade Higgins, and at that point negitations between the two sides took a turn. Now, Higgins will be continuing his career in Cincinnati for the foreseeable future.
"[P]rior to the combine, we talked about the franchise tag and what impact it could potentially have on Tee,” Arceneaux said. “And when they decided to tag him, I had assumed, because we had talked about it prior to the tag with the intent of trading. So we proceeded along those lines, and once the process started, it became clear and evident that the Bengals, like I say, they were more inclined to pay him rather than trade him.
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"[W]e later learned that the Bengals were declining conversations about compensation for Tee,” Arceneaux said. “And that’s when I realized that they were more inclined to reward him instead of trading him. So, at that point, I think the structure and the tone of the negotiations took a turn for the better.”
Higgins parted ways with his former agent David Mulugheta back in December and signed with Arceneaux, who also represents Ja'Marr Chase. Having the same representation gave the star receiving duo -- and Arceneaux -- some serious leverage in negotiations.
Arceneaux knew that the organization wanted to come to an agreement on an extension with Chase. He also knew that star quarterback Joe Burrow wanted the team to keep Higgins. Burrow made that abundantly clear down the stretch of the season by consistently campaigning for the star receiver.
So, Arceneaux basically told the Bengals that there would be no deal for Chase without one for Higgins. Clearly, Cincinnati didn't want to risk an issue with Chase. Now, both players are locked up on fresh contracts and the Bengals will continue to boast one of the most potent receiving duos in the entire league.