Tee Higgins, a wide receiver with the Cincinnati Bengals, asked to be traded twice this offseason: once following his franchise tag and again prior to the 2024 NFL Draft. The rationale behind his repeated trade requests may be connected to Cincinnati’s purported contract extension proposals for him.
Higgins, selected 33rd overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, has established himself as a key member of the Bengals’ offensive unit. The 6-foot-4 receiver has played in 58 games since arriving in Cincinnati, tallying 3,684 receiving yards, 185 first downs, and 24 touchdowns on 257 grabs.
Contract with Tee Higgins: $21.816 million in pay in 2024; free agency in the NFL in 2025
Higgins intended to remain in Cincinnati before the Bengals organization franchise-tagged him. He loves the town and wants to stay involved, as he stated to WLWT in April while attending a football camp. Nevertheless, the contract extension talks haven’t gone well with the franchise.
While Cincinnati is attempting to contend for a Super Bowl, it has no intention of dealing him, and the two parties have not even approached an extension agreement. But there seems to be a significant disparity in the offers made by the two teams, which indicates Higgins won’t be staying with Cincinnati after this season.
The Bengals’ contract offer to Higgins, according to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, never came close to the $20 million annual ballpark. The difference in the contract’s average annual worth was so great that Higgins’ agent neglected to even bring up the possibility of guaranteed money in a new agreement.
