Over the past few seasons, the Cincinnati Bengals have had to make some difficult choices regarding their limited salary cap resources in order to build the best team for the future. Obviously, the most important component of that was to sign superstar quarterback Joe Burrow to a record-breaking contract. Burrow is a game-changing presence who gives this organization a shot at the Super Bowl every year that he remains on the team. Unfortunately, signing one player to a monster contract makes retaining the rest of the team incredibly difficult as that contract slowly kicks in over time.
Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver Eyes Exit in 2025
Arguably the most difficult position for Cincinnati with constantly dwindling salary cap resources has been wide receiver. Since superstar Ja’Marr Chase was drafted in 2021, there has been a core nucleus of three wide receivers on this organization including Chase, target man Tee Higgins and slot receiver Tyler Boyd. After Burrow’s extension, Boyd is the first cap casualty from the talented triumvirate after he was signed by former Bengals offensive coordinator turned Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan.
Now, there is a pressing concern that Higgins will also be impossible to retain in the long run after his desire for a sizable contract extension led to hostilities with the front office this offseason. After all the dramatics, the front office chose to slap Higgins with a franchise tag rather than give him the extension that he wanted and rightfully deserved. Given the sizeable contract due to the Clemson product next season, most analysts are anticipating that this will be the talented wideout’s last season with the Orange and Black.
Over the course of the offseason, Higgins certainly hasn’t shown any hesitation to make his intentions known with his current team. In an offseason that has marked multiple barbed social media posts toward the Bengals, Higgins chose to initiate drama once again after appearing in a social media post with Boyd in Nashville, Tennessee over the weekend.
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There has already been drama regarding a potential move to Tennessee this offseason given the obvious connection between Higgins and his former offensive coordinator Callahan. On top of that, Higgins is a native of Oak Ridge, Tennessee (approximately 2 hours east of Nashville) and would certainly love to move a little closer to home. There was speculation all off season that Cincinnati may have interest in trading Higgins but the Titans’ lucrative contracts with wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley made that idea impossible.
Luckily for Tennessee, the aging legend Hopkins will see his two-year contract end following the 2024 season and will therefore have plenty of cap space to bring Higgins back to his home state. Unless Cincinnati has any real plans of retaining the star wideout after his franchise tag ends this season, they would be wise to trade the star receiver before the deadline this season in order to capitalize on a talented player before they lose him to free agency with no return at all.
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