Wide receiver Tee Higgins has been with the Cincinnati Bengals for five seasons since he was drafted early in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Since arriving in the league, he has established himself as a star and one of the best No. 2 receiving options in the league. Behind Ja’Marr Chase, he is a dynamic receiving threat.
This past season, Higgins had 73 receptions for 911 yards while only appearing in 12 games, and he’s exceeded 1,000 yards twice in his career.
Tee Higgins Posts Cryptic Message With Bengals Future in Doubt
After getting drafted, Higgins quickly signed a four-year rookie contract, paying him a little over $8.5 million in that span. He had established himself as a star while on his rookie contract and appeared set for a big payday. However, with the Bengals’ salary cap situation complicated, they opted to use their franchise tag on Higgins last offseason.
As a result of being franchise-tagged, the Bengals signed Higgins to a one-year contract with a $21.8 million salary. While this helped the Bengals last season, he is now due for another contract this offseason. While the Bengals have stated they plan to keep Higgins, there is no current contract agreement less than a month before free agency starts on March 12.
With his contract status in doubt, Higgins posted a cryptic message on Instagram. He posted several photos of himself working out with the caption, “5 just out here working.” However, spliced in with the photos of him working out were a few photos with cryptic messages.
“Priorities are rare, options are everywhere.”
“I feel like I’m already tired tomorrow.”
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It is unclear if there is any deeper meaning behind these messages. Nonetheless, the Bengals are in a situation because Higgins is their third-most important offensive player after QB Joe Burrow and Chase. Higgins no doubt helped the Bengals have one of the best offenses in the NFL this past season. However, the Bengals need help on defense and cannot afford to spend all their money on offense.
Despite having one of the best offenses in the NFL, the Bengals missed the playoffs because their defense was so poor. It is possible that they would be better off reallocating their funds to some star defensive players.