Tee Higgins

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow doesn't want to lose his top two targets to free agency, and he is reportedly doing what he can to convince the team to keep both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

"He is putting the hammer on them," an NFL executive said in a Monday story by Mike Sando of The Athletic.

Higgins is scheduled for free agency this offseason after playing the 2024 campaign on the franchise tag, while Chase has one year remaining on his deal. While Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension in 2023, he has publicly said he is willing to restructure his deal to help keep the wide receivers in Cincinnati.

"I'm of the thought that when he decided not to make an Eli Manning situation with Cincinnati in the draft, that he had talks beforehand about how they were going to proceed with player acquisition," another executive said, per Sando. "And now it is to the point where they have to hold up their end of the bargain."

Former Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer famously demanded a trade from Cincinnati during his career, but one executive said the situation is different with Burrow.

"Carson got hurt in a playoff game, but Joe got them to the Super Bowl," the exec said. "That carries a lot of weight going forward. The issue is going to be, will they spend money elsewhere, at a level necessary to keep guys? I think that this time they might. I'm not saying they will have a wholesale change in their philosophy. Joe has the leverage to have them do something that they might not have wanted to do."

Committing to Burrow in 2023 the way the Bengals did and then not spending to keep his top two receivers would undercut the team-building process for a franchise looking to take the next step as a contender.

Cincinnati made the Super Bowl during the 2021 campaign and reached the AFC Championship Game the following year with the star quarterback leading the way. Even its down seasons in 2023 and 2024 saw it finish with a winning record of 9-8 in large part because of the brilliance of Burrow, Chase and the passing game.

Chase in particular was unstoppable this past season and led the NFL in catches (127), receiving yards (1,708) and touchdown catches (17). Higgins had back-to-back seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards in 2021 and 2022 and set a career-high with touchdown catches (10) in 2024.

Both receivers and Burrow are in their 20s, so it is not difficult to envision the trio leading the Bengals for years to come.

But first the front office has to commit to paying the necessary contracts to keep the pass-catchers in town.

Tee Higgins, wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, is uncertain about his future with the team as he approaches free agency next month.

"Obviously, we want to build something here in Cincy, but it's not in my hands right now," Higgins told reporters. "I've got to do what I've got to do and if that's go to another team, you know, that's what happens."

After finishing season with 911 yards, 10 touchdowns (a career high) and 73 receptions, Higgins and the Bengals have yet to reach an agreement on a contract renewal, something they were not able to finalize last season.

Unable to strike a longer-term deal, Higgins signed a one-year, $21.8 million contract with the Bengals. The team finished the season 9-8 and missed the postseason.

With that in mind, Higgins is now considering his future beyond Cincinnati, the only team he's played for over the past five years.

"I'm just trying to stay away from it right now," Higgins added. "Clear my head, get away from the game, especially after tonight, clear my head. Get away from the game for a few weeks. And then, obviously, in March that's when things start ramping up for me, with free agency coming up, and I would love to be here in Cincinnati. I love it here. I love the city. I love the fans. I love coaching staff—everything that we're building. But it's out of my control."

In addition to focusing on his own future, Higgins would like to see the majority of the Bengals' core stay intact heading into next season. That certainly includes tight end Mike Gesicki, who will become an unrestricted free agent and finished the season with 665 yards and two touchdowns.

"Yeah, of course, we all want to keep the core pieces what it is (right now) even with Mike Gesicki," Higgins said to Danneman. "That's a core piece as well. So obviously, we want to build something here in Cincy. But you know, it's not in my hands right now. So I got to do what I need to do and if that's go to another team. That's what happens."

With many moving pieces expected for Cincinnati in the offseason, the 26-year-old wide receiver, Higgins, would undoubtedly attract a lot of interest if the Bengals were to move on from him.

The Cincinnati Bengals will have to make a decision on the future of Trey Hendrickson ahead of the 2025 season.

The veteran pass-rusher—who led football with 17.5 sacks this past season—will be making just $16 million in 2025 and will be a free agent following the season. He already requested a trade ahead of the 2024 campaign, though the Bengals obviously didn't grant it.

As Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport noted on Sunday, "Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said recently they'll try to extend Hendrickson but noted both sides must agree. Cincinnati rarely makes trades, with Tobin often noting that he doesn't like to trade away great players. But if Hendrickson became available, there would be a strong market."

It could be quite the offseason in the edge-rusher market, with Myles Garrett already requesting a trade and Micah Parsons an interesting trade candidate if the Dallas Cowboys decide they don't want to reset the market with an extension to keep him for the long term.

Losing Hendrickson would be a major blow, no doubt—he has 57 sacks since joining the Bengals in 2021—but it might be necessary from a salary cap perspective if the Bengals want to keep both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at wideout. It seems more likely, however, that both Chase and Hendrickson will get extensions and Higgins will walk in free agency.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow expressed a willingness Thursday to be flexible with his contract in order to accommodate the team's other star players.

During an appearance on FS1's Breakfast Ball (h/t Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic), Burrow said, "Of course," when asked if he would restructure his contract to allow the Bengals to get other key players signed such as wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, defensive end Trey Hendrickson and tight end Mike Gesicki.

Burrow also responded positively to a question about his confidence in the Bengals' front office's ability to keep the core together, saying: "I do. I do. We have the cap space to get it done. I want to make it happen. Everybody involved: Trey, Tee, Ja'Marr, Mike G, we all want to stay together. When you have guys that are motivated like that, I think you can get those things done."

Both Higgins and Gesicki are set to become free agents this offseason, while Chase and Hendrickson are signed through 2025.

While Chase was a training camp hold-in last year who did not start practicing until shortly prior to the start of the 2024 regular season, he ultimately played under his current deal and turned in a dominant performance.

After winning the receiving Triple Crown with 127 catches for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns, Chase will almost certainly insist on a new contract this offseason that makes him the NFL's highest-paid wideout.

Hendrickson requested a trade last offseason when he and the Bengals couldn't come to terms on a new contract, but like Chase, he eventually reported to the team.

The 30-year-old veteran went on to record 17.5 sacks for a second consecutive season, leading the league in that category. He was named a Pro Bowler, First Team All-Pro and NFL Defensive Player of the Year finalist.

This week, during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show (h/t ESPN's Ben Baby), Hendrickson suggested that if he does not get a new deal this offseason, he will insist on a trade this time around.

Burrow, 28, is coming off a career year that saw him lead the NFL with 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns to go along with nine interceptions.

Despite that, the Bengals went just 9-8 and missed the playoffs, largely due to a defense that ranked 25th in the league in both total yards and points allowed.

Still, the Bengals will be considered top contenders to win the AFC and go to the Super Bowl next season if they are able to keep the core of their roster together.

Chase and Hendrickson are elite players at their respective positions, while Higgins and Gesicki are key to Burrow's success as well.

Higgins, 26, had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and 2022 before injuries limited him to 12 games in 2023. Higgins also played in only 12 games this season, but he still managed 73 grabs for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He is shaping up to be arguably the best free agent at any position this offseason, which could make it difficult for the Bengals to compete with teams that have more money to spend.

In his only season with the Bengals, Gesicki had 65 receptions for 665 yards and two scores. He would be far cheaper to re-sign than Higgins, but figures to have plenty of interest on the open market as well.

Burrow signed a five-year, $275 contract extension in 2023 and is set to have a $46.25 million cap hit next season, per Spotrac.

OverTheCap.com estimates that the Bengals have the ninth-most cap space in the NFL at $46.5 million, and a Burrow restructure could get them even more, as could signing Chase and Hendrickson to extensions.

Doling out several massive contracts could have negative consequences in the future, but if the Bengals want to go all in and compete for Super Bowls over the next few years, they do seem to have the means to make it happen.