Bengals’ Coach Makes Bold Statement On Tee Higgins

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins requested a trade earlier this offseason, but it does not look like the Bengals are going to grant his wishes.

While speaking to reporters at the NFL’s Annual League Meeting this week, head coach Zac Taylor discussed how thrilled he is to have Higgins aboard heading into 2024.

“We’re excited for Tee to have a great year for us,” Taylor said, via Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer. “We think he’s our best chance to help us win a Super Bowl. I’ve enjoyed working with Tee the last four years, I expect this year to be no different.”

Cincinnati slapped a franchise tag on Higgins, preventing him from reaching free agency. This apparently did not sit well with Higgins, who consequently asked for a trade.

The Bengals have until the middle of July to reach a long-term deal with Higgins before having to repeat the same song and dance next offseason.

But Taylor is focused on right now, and right now, Higgins is under Cincinnati’s team control, even if that means he skips out on training camp.

“Those are their business decisions they make and we’ll continue to prepare the guys that are there and get ready for training camp,” Taylor said. “Excited to have a great year with Tee.”

If Higgins plays out the year on his franchise tender, he will make $21.8 million in 2024.

The 25-year-old is coming off of a disappointing 2023 campaign in which he logged 42 catches for 656 yards and five touchdowns. He was limited to just 12 games due to injuries.

Prior to that, however, Higgins logged back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in 2021 and 2022.

The Clemson product was selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

We’ll see if Cincinnati and Tee Higgins are able to reach some sort of agreement in the coming months, but it seems like Taylor is firmly expecting the star wide out to be in uniform next season.