Tee Higgins won’t bring contract issues to minicamp.
The Bengals star, who is currently engaged in a franchise tag battle with the team, did not participate in mandatory minicamp this week.
Higgins, who is seeking a long-term contract extension, did not sign a one-year contract worth about $21.8 million and will not be penalized for missing games.
His teammate, fellow standout receiver Ja’Marr Chase, now eligible for a big contract himself, is also in camp, as is quarterback Joe Burrow, who missed the final seven games of the 2023 season with a wrist injury.
“Me and Tee talk all the time. I’ve met with Tee a few times this offseason and he seems to be doing well,” Burrow told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m looking forward to seeing him when he’s ready to come back.”
That could be a while, as long as Higgins continues to show the Bengals he’s willing to do what needs to be done.
The 25-year-old requested a trade in March and then sat out OTAs in late May along with Chase.
Coach Zac Taylor didn’t seem worried about his top wide receiver missing voluntary workouts.
“[They] “They’re still practicing hard elsewhere and will be back when the time is right,” Taylor said on May 28. “And the great thing is, we know them and we know what they do, so when they come back they’ll be ready and focused.”
Higgins shared a cryptic Instagram post on May 30 featuring a series of photos, including one of the wide receiver working out, with the caption, “Y’all wanna call me selfish so I say no…”
Heading into the 2024 offseason, Higgins made it clear he wanted either a new contract or a trade after completing the final season of his rookie contract in 2023.
The Bengals denied both requests, signing Higgins as their franchise player just before the NFL Combine in late February.
“It’s pretty simple really. He’s a good player, we want to keep him and we have the resources to do it, so we decided early on to do it.” Duke Tobin, the team’s director of player personnel, “And that’s where we are. We like Tee. We’re a better team having Tee. The way we manage our cap, we have the ability to put the franchise tag on him, and we did.”
While Higgins is clearly not happy with how the situation has played out, he told reporters in April that he plans to play for the Bengals in 2024.
“I expect that,” Higgins said during a youth football camp. (via W.L.W.T.). “I have grown to love Cincinnati in ways I never would have imagined. [I’m] looking forward to it.”
The 25-year-old had 403 catches for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns in four seasons with Cincinnati.
He missed He missed five games last season due to injury, but finished with 42 catches for 656 yards and five touchdowns.
He scored a touchdown late in the game against the Baltimore Ravens.
October 24, 202, at M&T Bank Stadium. Getty Images
The two sides have until July 15 to negotiate a new contract extension, but the possibility of a trade looms.
The Bengals picked up some insurance when they took receiver Jermaine Burton in the third round of April’s draft.
The Bengals will open the 2024-25 season at home against the Patriots on Sept. 8.
