‘Expect This Year To Be No Different’ – Bengals’ Zac Taylor Not Sweating Tee Higgins Trade Request

Dealing with a disgruntled offensive starter for the second offseason in a row, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor sounds as if he expects the Tee Higgins saga to play out the same way as the Jonah Williams situation a year ago. Higgins will play for the Bengals in 2024, and play well.

Bengals Not Expected To Act on Tee Higgins’ Trade Request

“We’re excited for Tee to have a great year for us,” Taylor said at the AFC coach’s breakfast in Orlando, Monday morning.

“We think he’s our best chance to help us win a Super Bowl,” Taylor continued. “I’ve enjoyed working with Tee the last four years and expect this year to be no different.”

Williams requested a trade last March after the Bengals signed Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency in a move that forced Taylor’s first draft to switch positions.

Higgins requested a trade after Cincinnati guaranteed the receiver $21.7 by using the franchise tag.

Last month at the Combine in Indianapolis, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin took a softer stance on the possibility of Higgins trade than he did the previous offseason when he shot down the suggestion as “ridiculous” and told other teams if they want a receiver to go get their own.

Yes, the Bengals are willing to listen to offers for Higgins.

#Bengals QB Joe Burrow talks Tee Higgins and his thoughts on wherher he can be back next year. pic.twitter.com/YHVhkt1zM2

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) January 8, 2024

But acting on them is another matter in another universe.

“I’m excited to see Tee on the field for us next year and help us win a lot of games,” Tayor repeated.

Tobin always has followed the “bird in the hand” philosophy, placing greater value on a player with known, proven talent rather than the unpredictability of promised potential that comes with NFL Draft picks.

Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow has established great chemistry and trust with Higgins. The two have worked together in Taylor’s system a year longer than Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, even if that relationship spans a greater time frame.

Equal to the Bengals’ reluctance to trade for Higgins might be other teams’ interest in giving up as much as it would take to land him due to the immense talent available in this year’s draft class.

KEEP READING: Bengals’ Options for Free Agency Week 3

And market value is just the starting point. The insistence by Taylor and Tobin that they expect Higgins to play for the Bengals in 2024 means it would take the sort of offer no organization could turn down to make something happen.

It’s similar to the Carson Palmer situation more than a decade ago.

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