Given the timing, it was inevitable fans would wonder if the Cincinnati Bengals and wideout Tee Higgins might still come to an agreement on a contract extension.
Higgins signed his franchise tag right after mandatory camp and well ahead of training camp, giving both parties plenty of room before that July 15 deadline to work out an extension.
But a report quickly followed the move that used “longshot” to describe an extension.
And now NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport had added to that: “My understanding of the situation is it is considered unlikely that Tee Higgins will end up getting the long-term extension that he wants.”
A lack of an extension would track with the expected Jessie Bates-styled trajectory, meaning Higgins reports to camp on time and plays next year on that $21.8 million tag.
Given the ever-increasing cap and fact Joe Burrow’s extension is already about to be outpaced by other monster quarterback contracts, there’s a slim hope the team can afford Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase long-term.
But if not, the team still has the core in place for a serious run in 2024.
