The Cincinnati Bengals positioned themselves to retain one of Joe Burrow’s favorite targets after applying the franchise tag to wide receiver Tee Higgins, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who provided more information:
Higgins was limited to 12 games in 2023 but remained an effective target in the passing game. He caught 42 passes for 656 yards and five touchdowns, his 15.6 yards per reception a career high.
After the season drew to a close, Burrow and head coach Zac Taylor both spoke highly of Higgins and said they hoped he’d stick around in Cincinnati:
The feeling was mutual for Higgins.
“Them telling me that they want me to come back, man, it’s family,” he said to Bleacher Report’s Scott Polacek. “We’ve been playing together for three or four years now, and I personally would love to be back playing with those guys. It’s not in my hands now, but when the time comes and Cincinnati is there, that’s the number one option right now.”
The situation was far from straightforward, though.
Burrow’s record-setting five-year, $275 million extension was both a necessary move and one that tied the hands of the front office a bit. It’s the same issue that hinders any team paying the market rate for an elite quarterback.
Director of player personnel Duke Tobin, who’s ostensibly the Bengals general manager, had to consider another major factor.
Ja’Marr Chase is eligible for free agency in 2026, and his next contract is all but guaranteed to make him one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the league. That could mean $30 million or more depending on how much Justin Jefferson manages to get from the Minnesota Vikings or a rival franchise.
Retaining Chase and Higgins was obviously the optimal solution for the offense and to keep Burrow happy, but it’s worth asking whether devoting upwards of $50 million or $60 million at a position that isn’t quarterback is the best allocation of resources.
It was almost impossible not to see this as a choice for Cincinnati between the two, at least within a long-term context. And you’re always going to pick the three-time Pro Bowler over the one who’s probably a top-20 player at the position.
Perhaps the Bengals will actually prefer Higgins in the end given his lower cost and the fact he’s only one year older than Chase. It could be easier to build around a Burrow/Higgins tandem than Burrow/Chase.
With Higgins now locked down, the focus will inevitably shift to Chase, who has said he’s willing to be patient before he signs a multiyear pact. He responded affirmatively when asked specifically if he’d prefer Jefferson to set the market first.
This past offseason, the price tag for Burrow continued to climb as Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert all got massive pay raises from their respective teams. The same thing could happen to the Bengals again with Chase.
2024-02-24 03:19:30
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