The Cincinnati Bengals want to keep Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins together for as long as possible.
Everyone understands that. So, too, should everyone understand that it can only happen if the front office puts forth the proper contracts and there is some sort of sacrifice along the way in the name of crafting a competitive roster.
This is so obvious, at this point, that Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin didn’t try to mask how things need to unfold while chatting with the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway at the Senior Bowl.
“It’s going to be hard,” Tobin said, per Conway. “We feel like we have the resources to do it, but it all depends on how the negotiation goes and whether they’re willing to accept wanting to come back at a number that makes sense for everybody. And you know what we do with Tee going forward, I’ve always been very upfront in my desire to have Tee Higgins on our team. I’ve never not been upfront about that, and that desire continues, but we have to be able to come together with his representation on what that means and what the right number is for his experience, for his play time, for his production.”
RELATED: Duke Tobin’s Trey Hendrickson comments — cause for concern?
As we noted on Tobin’s Trey Hendrickson comments, some of this feels like him raising his hands and suggesting the ball’s in the hands of the front office — which it is.
Still, Bengals fans have a reason for optimism despite the history of the team’s front office. A report said Burrow and his star wideouts have been plotting a way to stay together. And Higgins leaving his (notoriously-unfriendly-to-Bengals) agent seems to point to a shift in how negotiations might unfold from the player’s side.
