BREAKING: Tee Higgins is willing to take a pay cut to stay with Bengals
When healthy, Tee Higgins ranks among the NFL’s elite wide receivers.
His performance in Saturday’s thrilling overtime win against the Denver Broncos showcased his talent, as Higgins hauled in 11 receptions for 131 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner with just over a minute left.
This stellar outing brings Higgins’ season totals to 69 catches, 858 yards, and a career-best 10 touchdowns, achieved despite missing five games due to injuries.
For much of the year, many assumed this season would be Higgins’ swan song in a Cincinnati Bengals uniform. Playing on the franchise tag, his return seemed unlikely with the Bengals poised to make Ja’Marr Chase one of the highest-paid receivers in NFL history. Could that assumption be wrong?
A recent report from CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala offers a glimmer of hope.
“Tee Higgins told me last week being paid as a WR1 is not necessarily his no. 1 motivator,” Kinkhabwala shared on social media. “‘I’m playing with if not the best, one of the best, QBs. I’m playing with if not the best, one of the best, WRs. That opens up things for me. In this offense, everyone has a chance to be spotlighted.’”
Adding to the intrigue, Higgins now shares an agent with Chase, who previously praised Higgins as “the most unselfish person.” Additionally, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has publicly urged the team’s front office to secure an extension for Higgins, suggesting the door may not be completely closed on his return.
Time will reveal whether this once-unlikely scenario becomes a reality.