It's now or never for Bengals WR to prove himself in contract year

Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins is in the final season of his rookie deal, and time is running out to capitalize on his contract year. Here is why it is now or never for the four-year veteran to increase his upcoming pay day.

Cincinnati announced on Monday that WR Ja'Marr Chase is likely to miss some time after having a MRI on his separated shoulder, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He will be sidelined for at least this week's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7) and maybe beyond that.

That means Higgins' time to finally prove he can be a WR1 has come. Higgins has constantly been the No. 2 behind Chase, and rightfully so, but he will now be the No. 1 option in Chase's absence.

The 24-year-old began his NFL career with 215 catches for 3,028 yards and 19 touchdowns from 2020-22. However, he has just 36 catches for 497 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games this year.

Of course, his injury-riddled season coupled with losing QB Joe Burrow to a season-ending injury must be taken into account, but backup QB Jake Browning has been playing very well of late.

Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill is currently the highest-paid wide receiver in the league, making $30 million per year. 

Higgins is unlikely to receive a deal worth that much. In fact, he is only projected to receive about $16.4 million per season, according to Spotrac. With a strong finish to his 2023 season, though, he could leave a lasting impression and potentially raise that to $20 million-plus per year.

Whether or not the Bengals will be able to pay him after making Burrow the highest-paid quarterback in the league is unknown, but they will be able to franchise tag and trade him if the money doesn't work on their side.

There isn't a better time than now for Higgins, who gets to face Pittsburgh, which has allowed 25 points per game the past three weeks.

Higgins will earn every penny if he helps his team stay in the playoff race with a dominant finish to what has been an underwhelming season thus far.