Cincinnati Bengals Low-Ball Superstar Receiver in Contract Negotiations

One of the big headlines over the course of the offseason has been the Bengals’ effort to negotiate a contract extension with talented wide receiver Tee Higgins.  After being drafted by the team with the 33rd overall pick in 2020, Higgins has been an outstanding addition to the team and has been a major contributor to the breakout of quarterback Joe Burrow over the years.  An easy way to gauge the admiration of the talented Clemson product is just to listen to the “Tee” chants after every single catch he makes.

Unfortunately for both the team and Higgins, contract negotiations have taken a dramatic turn for the worse after the franchise gave Higgins the franchise tag last month.  The franchise tag locks Higgins in at $21.8 million for next season but does nothing to provide long-term security to the wide receiver. The day after the franchise tag, Higgins voiced his displeasure with the situation by demanding a trade.  He later appealed to cool on the idea but reiterated it last week by demanding a trade for a second time.

There has been heavy speculation as to exactly what value each party is trying to apply to the contract but today, the Cincinnati Enquirer officially broke news on the negotiation details.  Per the Enquirer, Higgins never demanded to be amongst the higher-paid wide receivers in the NFL as has been speculated wildly.  It was reported that Higgins wanted a contract similar to what the Indianapolis Colts delivered to land Michael Pittman several weeks ago.  Pittman signed a three-year contract for a total of $70 million with an average annual value of just over $23 million.

Given the dramatic inflation that has hit the wide receiver market, that $23 million per season is actually a pretty reasonable value given that superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is likely to average somewhere around $35 million once he signs a contract extension this upcoming year.  Given the fact that cap inflation is unlikely to slow down, $23 million per season is actually a reasonable contract for the 25-year-old target man.

While that contract value seems empirically reasonable, the organization clearly disagreed strongly on that valuation.  It was reported by the Enquirer that the front office laid a hard offer with an average annual value of approximately $18 million to the star wideout.  Given how absurd the market has become, that low valuation on the talent that Higgins brings to the table is somewhat insulting.  What that equates to is the organization hoping that Higgins caves even though they budgeted a tiny sum for retaining their talent this offseason.

Sadly for Higgins, this isn’t the first time that the franchise has been known to treat their veterans with subpar contract negotiations.  In 2017, the team let All-Pro offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth leave in free agency after basically demanding a contract close to the league minimum.  While there is always a possibility that these details have been leaked by Higgins’ agent as a negotiating ploy, the offer does fit the pattern that the front office has shown over the past twenty years.