Tee Higgins' future in the NFL was one of the biggest storylines in the 2024 season. After being tagged by the Cincinnati Bengals (worth $21,816,000), he agreed to play the campaign, although it wasn't injury-free. Higgins missed the Week 1 game against the New England Patriots, a loss many believe would have been different with him on the field.
Now that Higgins is in the middle of the offseason, rumors and speculation about his future resurfaced. The veteran wide receiver played at a high level again, but the Bengals are likely to keep Ja'Marr Chase on the roster and see Higgins walk away.
Former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi had strong words for Higgins in Thursday's edition of The Pat McAfee Show, calling him a more than capable WR1 and suggesting an NFC team as a potential destination.
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"I think he's really talented, and I think Tee can go somewhere and be a really good player," Lombardi said. "You put Tee Higgins on a team like the 49ers, my lord, he could end up shining because they've got other players around him, and then he looks really good, but Brandon Aiyuk would be even better with someone like Deebo Samuel there.
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"So yeah, here's the problem that Duke has. Duke's not going to be able to pay what other teams are going to pay because people are going to overpay for Tee Higgins in the sense that they need them."
Higgins caught 73 passes this season for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games.
Cincinnati Bengals GM says it'll be hard to keep Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins
In a Q&A session with Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati Bengals general manager Duke Tobin talked about the team's chances to keep their star wide receivers beyond this season.
Tobin said that it'll be complicated since there are many factors that need to work. However, he added it will depend on whether everybody wants to be back with the team while accepting a deal that might not be the highest but benefits the team.
The Bengals are still a well-oiled offensive machine, but they need to show a better face from the beginning of the season to compete in the playoffs.
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