Bengals WR Tee Higgins shares alarming contract update

The Cincinnati Bengals paid quarterback Joe Burrow and will eventually lock wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase down via a lucrative contract extension. 

That could leave wideout Tee Higgins on the outside looking in as it pertains to securing a long-term deal with the only NFL home he's had since the 2020 draft. 

"I have no clue," Higgins directly said Friday about the state of contract negotiations between his camp and the Bengals, per Ben Baby of ESPN. "My job is to come in every day and do what I do best -- work and catch the ball from No. 9 (Burrow)."

Higgins spoke with reporters less than 24 hours after it was learned that Burrow was becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history via a five-year extension worth up to $275M with roughly $219.1M guaranteed. 

Chase, a two-time Pro Bowl selection who earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors for the 2021 season, is eligible for an extension after the upcoming campaign. 

It was said as far back as this spring that Higgins could be shopped either before or during the season due to the fact that the hard salary-cap system makes fitting the 24-year-old, Chase and Burrow on the same roster past February 2024 a seemingly impossible task. Higgins is in the final year of his rookie contract, and Baby reported that "a source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN that a long-term deal -- at any point this season -- appears unlikely for" the 2020 second-round draft choice. 

Higgins suggested he never considered staying away from the team ahead of Sunday's regular-season opener at the division-rival Cleveland Browns to protest the lack of financial guarantees past 2023. 

"If I didn't play, I could see why I wouldn't," he explained. "But me as a competitor, I want to play the game and also set myself up for the future."

As of Friday afternoon, OddsChecker had the Bengals third among the betting favorites at +600 odds to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LVIII. It sounds like Higgins won't cause any unnecessary distractions as of the second Sunday of September, but those within the Bengals may need to make calls to other teams if the situation changes ahead of the trade deadline set for Oct. 31.