Tee Higgins' future with the Cincinnati Bengals is still up in the air as he approaches the final season of his current contract, and he reportedly eyed Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman as a comparison point.
Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported on the Higgins situation Monday and noted the wideout "never requested to become the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL." Instead, he wanted something resembling the three-year, $70 million deal Pittman inked with the Colts.
Yet Conway noted Cincinnati "never approached" an average annual value of $20 million during discussions with Higgins.
As of now, Higgins is slated to play the upcoming campaign on the franchise tag. The two sides have until July 15 to agree on a long-term deal, but they haven't even "advanced to the next round of conversations which would have been about guaranteed money."
NFL @NFLHIGGINS HOUSE CALL. 80 YARDS ‼️<br><br>📺: <a href="">#CINvsPIT</a> on NBC<br>📱: Stream on <a href="">#NFLPlus</a> <a href=""> <a href="">
The Clemson product requested a trade in March as negotiations stalled, but all indications are Cincinnati does not plan to trade him and is instead focused on a potential Super Bowl run with a healthy Joe Burrow back under center in 2024.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported last month that "Higgins loves Cincinnati and hoped to be with the team long term, but is disappointed that the team has not had any talks about a long-term contract extension since March 2023. He's ready to move on to a new home."
That means another team may have the opportunity to sign a high-ceiling pass-catcher who is just 25 years old next offseason.
He posted back-to-back seasons of more than 1,000 receiving yards in 2021 and 2022, helping lead the Bengals to the Super Bowl during that first year. However, he dealt with injury concerns last season and saw his numbers drop to 42 catches for 656 yards and five touchdowns.
The Pittman comparison makes sense, as he is a similar age at 26 years old with two seasons of more than 1,000 receiving yards. Yet Cincinnati didn't look to give him a similar contract.
There are plenty of teams that would love to have Higgins even with a somewhat disappointing 2023, and they will likely have the chance to sign him next offseason if he and the Bengals don't make some surprising progress in negotiations with the wide receiver.
