Will He Be Traded?
No, Tee Higgins is not going to be traded. How do I know? Because it’s obvious. Just ask yourself the simple question “why in the hell would the Bengals trade him with two more years of contractual control?” The answer hopefully becomes obvious, they would not. It would be impractical for any team but especially for Cincinnati who has never done that kind of business even once.
Jessie Bates, the Bengals standout safety, found himself in a similar situation after being drafted in the second round in 2018. He played out his rookie deal, then was franchised tagged and just received the 4th highest pay day for a safety in NFL history. In my opinion, this is what will happen with Tee if a new deal can’t be reached though I believe an extension is possible, here’s why.
- Cincinnati hasn’t used the franchise tag on a receiver since 1999 (Carl Pickens). Higgins is a good candidate for it after this season if the two sides can’t work out an extension but at worst, he’s with the club for the next two seasons. The team won’t trade him as a possible Super Bowl run is more important than guaranteeing compensation, same as the Bates’ negotiation.
- The more members of the Bengals front office that speak publicly the more it seems like they’ll do anything to keep Burrow, Chase, and Higgins together. Owner Mike Brown and GM Duke Tobin have both stated they intend to keep all three. Becoming a modern organization with fancy things like a practice bubble and stadium naming rights will certainly help. They’ve made business a priority and, in my opinion, those three superstars are why.
- Joey Burrow is going to get the ultimate bag with some estimating as high as 55+ million per year. Jamarr Chase will most likely get whatever Justin Jefferson gets this year (Estimated $30 million per year). Both will set the bar at their positions. Higgins is third on the list of paydays, but he’s projected to get up to $25 million per year, bringing him inside the top 10 for receivers. The franchise tag number for receivers is around $18 million. $25 per year for a stud to be locked in for the foreseeable future isn’t a terrible deal. The cap is projected to increase all the way to $256 million, 30 million higher than the current $225. In 2025, when they’ll have to make the final decision on Tee, it’ll be even higher. Burrow and Chase are never leaving but the bottom line is, if the Bengals want to, they can keep all 3.
What’s Next?
After 2024 it’s up in the air. David Mulugheta, Higgins’ agent, negotiated the Deshaun Watson deal and is tremendously good at his job. Great for Tee, possible issue for Katie Blackburn and the Bengals. My guess is Mulugheta and Higgins will not be giving out discounts and other teams will be willing to pay him the astronomical money he deserves.
That gives us two more years. Assuming he doesn’t hold out if the team tags him next year, which, I don’t think he would as long as they’re in contention, i.e., Jessie Bates. More clarity has come as they’ve let top end contracts like Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell walk, one would think to make sure they have enough money for these extensions. Burrow’s deal will be the next major domino and will provide more clarity for how the Bengals can manipulate the rest of the cap. Stay tuned.
To summarize, he’ll be a Bengal for the next two seasons. After that, it’s anyone’s guess.
On a personal note, Tee is a baller and seems like a good dude. Hope he stays in Cincy long term, but I also hope he makes a billion dollars.
Check out my Twitter @BrodysBlog and my article about his QB > https://brodywilsonblog.wordpress.com/2023/02/15/how-good-is-joe-burrow/
Citations –
NFL spending – cap. Spotrac.com. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/cincinnati-bengals/positional/ Foundation. (2023, March 6). Carson Palmer.
profile.php?id=100014173501641. (2022, December 3). NFL insiders project historic salary for next Justin Jefferson Contract. Sportsnaut. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://sportsnaut.com/justin-jefferson-contract-projection/
profile.php?id=100014173501641. (2023, March 9). Joe Burrow Contract Extension reportedly expected to be largest in NFL history. Sportsnaut. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://sportsnaut.com/joe-burrow-contract-rumor-cincinnati-bengals/
Salary cap expert releases proposed contract extension for Bengals star … (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2023, from https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/allbengals-insiders-plus/salary-cap-expert-releases-proposed-contract-extension-bengals-star-tee-higgins
Spielberger, B. (2022, June 21). NFL salary cap: Three-year analysis for all 32 NFL teams: NFL News, rankings and Statistics. PFF. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-three-year-salary-cap-analysis-32-nfl-teams-2022
Spotrac.com. (n.d.). Tee Higgins. Spotrac.com. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/cincinnati-bengals/tee-higgins-47628/
Tee Higgins 2020 Game Log. Pro. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HiggTe00/gamelog/2020/
Wikipedia. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carson_Palmer
Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, March 7). Jessie Bates. Wikipedia. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessie_Bates
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