Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins starred in the Cincinnati Bengals’ thrilling 30-24 overtime win against the Denver Broncos in Week 17. The quarterback and wide receiver connected for three touchdowns, which further highlighted how important Higgins is to the team.
The 25-year-old wideout will be a free agent after this season. Burrow has already expressed his demand to keep his WR2 on the team beyond this year, but it will be financially difficult for the Bengals to sign both Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase to contract extensions.
Joe Burrow Talks About Tee Higgins’ Future With the Bengals
The Bengals will play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18 in what could be their last game of the 2024 NFL season. Even if the Bengals win against the Steelers, they could miss out on the playoffs. The AFC North team needs both the Broncos and Miami Dolphins to lose in Week 18 to make the playoffs.
Since the team’s season could end on Saturday, Burrow was asked about it being Higgins’ last game with the team. The star quarterback was not looking forward to thinking about the possibility of the wide receiver leaving the team.
“Haven’t really thought about that,” Burrow said. “It’s obviously a possibility, not one that I’m excited about, but that’s not in the plans, I would say.”
"It's obviously a possibility, not one that I'm excited about, but that's not in the plans, I would say."
Joe Burrow when asked if he's thought about this possibly being his last game with Tee Higgins. pic.twitter.com/SpSIAu5yf0
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) December 31, 2024
In the Week 17 win against the Broncos, Higgins finished with 11 catches for 131 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime, and if that was his last home game with Cincinnati, the star wide receiver had a great farewell.
Higgins is a very important player for the Bengals, as he makes things easier not only for Burrow but also for Chase. Losing him will be a huge blow for Cincinnati as the team already has a bad defense, and their offense was one of the only positives they had in 2024.
Burrow knows how devastating Higgins’ departure could be for the offense, so he has constantly pressured the team to make something work. The team’s defense has struggled since losing Jessie Bates III and DJ Reader in the last few seasons, and the same thing could happen on the other side of the ball.
Higgins Could Fetch $30 Million Salary With New Contract
In 11 games this season, Higgins has 69 catches for 858 yards and 10 touchdowns. Despite playing as the second fiddle to Chase, the Clemson product has averaged 65.8 receiving yards per game over his career and could be a WR1 on a different team.
Higgins is expected to earn up to $30 million in yearly salary with his new deal, which is similar to what Brandon Aiyuk and Amon Ra-St. Brown got with their new contracts. There is expected to be plenty of interest in the Bengals wide receiver from teams around the league.
The three-touchdown performance against a good Broncos defense may have also raised Higgins’ value. Moreover, Chase is also having a great season and has earned himself a big payday.
Chase could push for upward of $40 million in yearly salary with his new deal as he tries to outdo Justin Jefferson’s $35 million per year, who is currently the highest-paid wide receiver in the league. The star wide receiver wanted an extension last offseason, but the franchise did not offer him, and now they may end up paying a lot more to keep him on the roster.
The Bengals’ franchise is not known for paying top-of-the-market money for its players. It’s hard to envision a scenario where they will spend over $120 million yearly salary (Burrow for $55 million, Chase for $40 million, and Higgins for $30 million) for just their quarterback and the two star receivers on the team.