Tee Higgins calls cap on Bengals executive’s interest in signing WR long term

Tee Higgins is waiting for the Cincinnati Bengals to hand him a long-term contract after playing the season on the franchise tag.

Tee Higgins calls cap on Bengals executive’s interest in signing WR long term

Joe Burrow wants Tee Higgins with him at the Cincinnati Bengals (Image via Imago)

The Cincinnati Bengals have a crucial offseason coming up. Not only do they have to take a decision regarding star wideout Tee Higgins, but they also have to decide on his partner in crime Ja’Marr Chase‘s extension. Along with that, they also have to hand star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson a deal.

Quarterback Joe Burrow has time and again made his stance clear that he wants both his leading receivers back. Even though the cap space has increased significantly, the Bengals will have a tough time extending all three of them.

YouTube video

Analysts have suggested that they stand to lose Burrow down the line if they don’t build a team capable of winning a Super Bowl. Knowing that, reporters at the NFL Combine asked Director of Player Personnel for the Cincinnati Bengals Duke Tobin if they had a plan to sign Higgins to a deal.

FS Video

I think Tee Higgins is a fantastic footballer and I want him on my football team. Our preference with Tee Higgins is to do a long-term agreement. We’ll work hard to get that done.

Duke Tobin said

He added that they are trying to manage the cap situation and find a solution where they can sign all of them. At the same time, they want to sign free agent additions to help the team take the next step. His glowing words suggest the Cincinnati Bengals are all in on getting Tee Higgins to sign on the dotted line.

Tee Higgins does not believe Bengals executive’s claims

The franchise has now publicly talked about their stance when it comes to the 26-year-old wideout. They want to secure him so that they have the tools necessary to fight for a Super Bowl. Tee Higgins, however, does not seem to agree with his team’s claims.

Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase are both waiting for new contracts
Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase are both waiting for new contracts (Image via NFL/X)

He posted a tweet on his X account with a cap emoticon. Basically, he is calling cap on their claims that they want to hand him a proper long-term deal. That drew a shocked response from the likes of NFL Insider Ian Rapoport. He understood that the wideout was publicly claiming that his team was lying.

This is after his mother slammed the front office after reports surfaced that the Cincinnati Bengals were looking to franchise tag him again. If they do, it will be the second consecutive year that he will play on the franchise tag.

A tag is not beneficial to a player, as it generally indicates that the team wants to see more from him. Once they are convinced, they will give him that deal. But if they are not, then Higgins will be left with nothing. Then he will have to look for a job elsewhere.

Related: 10 NFL trades that shocked the world