Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, who is expected to become a free agent this offseason, expressed interest in playing for the Tennessee Titans in 2024.
Higgins has been a member of the Bengals since being drafted as the first pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. His rookie contract expired this season and it remains unclear whether the Bengals will try to tag him or re-sign him.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver already played for new Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan
The new head coach for the Tennessee Titans is Brian Callahan, who served as the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2019 to 2023.
Callahan was present on the Bengals staff as the offensive coordinator for every season of Tee Higgins’ career. Higgins mentioned that he would like to play under someone he already knows.
Free agent WR Tee Higgins on potentially going to the #Titans 👀
“It would be good going home and playing with a coach that I’ve already been under.”
(h/t @SickPodTitans)pic.twitter.com/FO3tAvfHv0
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 8, 2024
Tee Higgins also mentioned his family is still in Tennessee, and he would like to be around them. Higgins, who was a five-star recruit out of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was originally committed to the Tennessee Volunteers out of high school before flipping to the Clemson Tigers.
Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins said the Bengals were his No. 1 option before mentioning the Titans
One reason many expect Higgins to leave the Bengals this offseason is because he, along with quarterback Joe Burrow and fellow WR Ja’Marr Chase, will command too much money. Despite those speculations, Burrow said he structured his contract with Higgins’ future in mind.
Joe Burrow on Tee Higgins’ future and why he expects Higgins to stay with the #Bengals⬇️ pic.twitter.com/atPCxoyt0k
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) January 8, 2024
In an article from Bleacher Report, Higgins explained how much it means to him that the Bengals want him back with the team.
“It means a lot,” Higgins told Bleacher Report when discussing both the quarterback and his fellow wide receiver saying they want him to return even though he is set for free agency this offseason.
“Them telling me that they want me to come back, man, it’s family. We’ve been playing together for three or four years now, and I personally would love to be back playing with those guys. It’s not in my hands now, but when the time comes and Cincinnati is there, that’s the number one option right now.”
“Who knows how that will unfold at the end of the day,” the LSU product told Bleacher Report when discussing his potential extension. “We have to worry about Tee this year too, make sure bro gets his money. And on the other hand, I gotta wait for other receivers like CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson to get paid, too.”
Higgins was a part of the franchise-changing draft that the Bengals had in 2020. Quarterback Joe Burrow was the first pick of the first round, and Higgins was the first pick of the second round.
Higgins had just over 900 yards receiving in his first season with the Bengals, and that was the only time he wouldn’t reach 1,000 yards receiving with at least 16 games played.
Higgins has totaled 3,684 yards receiving in his four-year career, and he has 24 receiving touchdowns. When teams key in on Chase, or Chase gets injured, Higgins has come up big for the Bengals. One instance this year is when Chase left the Minnesota Vikings game early, and Higgins stepped up with one of the best catches of the year.
TEE HIGGINS JUMP BALL AND THE REACH! WHAT A TD 😱
📺: #MINvsCIN on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/vtmfEKvOLy pic.twitter.com/sLb6U64XNq— NFL (@NFL) December 16, 2023
The only concern with Higgins is how much he will be on the field. Since joining the Bengals in 2020, he has participated in 65% of the total Bengals snaps. In his rookie year, he participated in 74.8% of regular season snaps, which is the highest percentage of yearly snaps with the Bengals.
Whether Higgins decides to stay with the Bengals or move on to another team, he will be a main option in an NFL offense. His strong hands and jump-ball ability make him a wide receiver one for a lot of teams in the NFL.
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