The Cincinnati Bengals are poised to dole out a lot of money this offseason with wide receiver Tee Higgins, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and edge rusher Trey Hendrickson all seeking new contracts.
Higgins, the 2025 offseason’s top pending wide receiver free agent, was franchise-tagged last year, but that’s something Cincinnati is looking to avoid this offseason.
“I think Tee Higgins is a fantastic football player, and I want him on my team,” Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Whenever I’m in charge of a football team, I want Tee Higgins, so I’m going to do what I can to get Tee Higgins. Our preference with Tee Higgins is do a long-term agreement. Always has been, and it continues to be. We’ll work hard to get that done.
“We want to re-sign these guys, reward them for their ability level and add to the football team. It’s a tall task, we think we’re up to it and [executive vice president] Katie [Blackburn] has us in position to attack it well.”
Agent’s Take: Bengals could pay a much steeper price if they don’t heed Joe Burrow’s plea to lock up stars
Joel Corry
Tobin reiterated the team’s preference is for “a long-term deal” when asked about using the franchise tag again on Higgins. As for Chase, who led the NFL in catches (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17) in 2024, Tobin is comfortable making the fifth player since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger to win the receiving triple crown the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback. That would mean giving Chase a contract with a larger average-per-year salary than Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, his former LSU teammate who is on a four-year, $140…
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