How Bengals WR Tee Higgins is taking advantage of Ja'Marr Chase's holdout

"He's on a mission," Bengals starting slot cornerback Mike Hilton said of Higgins, via Baby. "He knows what's at the end of the road this season. Whether it's here or somewhere else, he has a great opportunity ahead of him."

Higgins, 25, signed the franchise tender (a one-year, $21.816M deal) this offseason. History suggests the Bengals won't re-sign him to a multiyear extension in 2025. According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, since the franchise tag was introduced in 1993, Cincinnati has never re-signed a player beyond the year he was tagged.

Bengals owner Mike Brown recently indicated they're saving cap space to extend Chase — who has two years remaining on his rookie deal — and may not have enough to sign both wideouts.

"You can't just pay people willy-nilly," Brown said at the beginning of the training camp, per Geoff Hobson of the team website. "You're restricted on how much we can pay, and we really like Tee Higgins. We would wish to sign him, but it has to be a certain level to fit within the cap, or it can't be done."

In 2023, the Bengals signed quarterback Joe Burrow to a five-year, $275M deal, further complicating their cap situation.

Higgins' future with the Bengals remains unclear heading into this season, but filling in for Chase should help him develop a stronger rapport with Burrow and generate better numbers.

Through his first four seasons, Higgins has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards twice. If he has another productive year, that should help him secure a sizeable deal in 2025.