Joe Burrow repeats demand to Cincinnati Bengals front office putting officials under pressure

Joe Burrow has pleaded with the Cincinnati Bengals’ front office to do everything in their power possible to keep receiver Tee Higgins this offseason.

Higgins, 25, joined the Bengals in the same NFL Draft as Burrow, and the pair helped take Cincinnati to the Super Bowl against the Los Angeles Rams in the 2021 season alongside Ja’Marr Chase. However, Higgins is set to hit free agency this offseason, barring another franchise tag.

Joe Burrow has pleaded with the Bengals to fight hard to keep Tee Higgins

Higgins will likely end up at the highest bidder, with a number of teams expected to be interested in acquiring a star receiver who finished the 2024 campaign with ten touchdowns for 911 yards. Bengals franchise QB Burrow has again issued a plea to make sure Higgins stays in Cincinnati for the 2025 season and beyond.

“Number one, we started this whole thing together,” Burrow said in his press conference after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers. “We came in together, and we built this thing from the ground up.

 

“And you don’t want to make a habit of letting great players get out of the building, just like I said earlier in the week. T’s a great player and a guy that does everything the right way and works really hard for it.

“When you have a guy like that, you just can’t let him get out of the building. He’s a one-of-a-kind person, one-of-a-kind player, and one that we really count on and is an integral part of what we do around here. So, hopefully, we can make that happen.”

Higgins has expressed an openness to stay put in Cincinnati. His offseason last year included a trade request and, eventually, a franchise tag.


Tee Higgins will become a free agent this offseason© Getty

Still, Brandon Aiyuk’s $120 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers has strengthened Higgins’ hand in negotiations with the Bengals and others. “I grew a love for this city for sure,” Higgins said. “And I grew a love for this team and these coaches, yeah, I’m not ruling it out.”

The Bengals are projected to have more than $65 million in cap space in 2025, meaning Higgins could stay put if a deal can be worked out between the two parties. Cincinnati can begin work on a new contract agreement with Higgins immediately after the franchise missed out on the playoffs.

The Bengals headed into Sunday’s fixtures of Week 18 with a shot at sneaking in on the condition that both the Denver Broncos and the Miami Dolphins lost their respective games. However, the Kansas City Chiefs fielded a heavily-rotated team, losing 38-0 to Denver, ending the Bengals’ chances.