Joe Burrow: I'd Be Very Disappointed If Tee Higgins Doesn't Get New Bengals Contract

Joe Burrow is running a full-court press to make sure the Cincinnati Bengals are aware he wants Tee Higgins to remain on the team beyond this season.

Asked if there would be disappointment within the team if Higgins isn't back in 2025, Burrow said he would "be very disappointment in that" and called the star receiver a player they "need" going forward.

This is the second time this week Burrow has made a point of saying publicly he wants to see Higgins remain in Cincinnati. After Monday's win over the Dallas Cowboys, he brought up Higgins' contract without being asked.

"I'm confident we are going to be able to do what it takes to bring Tee [Higgins] back," Burrow said. "I know that I am going to do what it takes to get him back. So, he can have those talks; those are going to be offseason discussions. I think we are excited about that opportunity."

The Bengals are entering an offseason full of questions, many of which start with their top two receivers. They were unable to get a long-term deal done with Ja'Marr Chase before the start of this season.

Per James Rapien of SI.com, talks between Chase and the Bengals broke down over guaranteed money and injury protections in the contract.

This has always felt like the final season for Higgins in Cincinnati. He is playing on the franchise tag after the Bengals offered him a deal that was reportedly worth less than $20 million per season.

Given all of the issues Cincinnati has on defense, there is a justification for not spending big money for two wide receivers. But the history of the Bengals franchise under Mike Brown's ownership has been one in which they don't tend to pay top-of-the-market money for superstars.

Burrow got his extension when he signed a five-year, $275 million deal in September 2023, but the team has been trending in the wrong direction over the past two seasons.

The Bengals' struggles last season could be attributed to Burrow missing the final seven games due to a wrist injury, but he has been healthy throughout the 2024 campaign and is playing arguably the best football of his career.

Higgins has spent his entire career with the Bengals after being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and 2022.