The Cincinnati Bengals face a critical decision this offseason as the majority of their breakout wide receivers hit free agency. Do you keep Tyler Boyd, and can you afford to keep Tee Higgins? Higgins’ name finds prominence at or near the top of most lists ranking wide receivers this offseason scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency.
For the second year in a row, the organization has acknowledged that there are limits to who it can keep. Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin supplied that latest little dose of reality to Bengals.com writer Geoff Hobson.
“We like Ja’Marr [Chase]. He’s in our long-term plans. He’s a high-level player in this league. And we want to keep those kinds of players on our team,” he said. Chase has been the Bengals’ top receiver since the second they drafted him and is QB Joe Burrow’s go-to target.
Tobin said of the Bengals’ other top receiver, “I want Tee Higgins back. Everyone on our team would like Tee Higgins back. There’s a pie and there are things we can do and can’t do because of it. We’ll see”.
The pie to which he refers is the salary cap. The number hasn’t been finalized yet, but estimates place it in the ballpark of $240 million. That is a healthy increase over last season, which was a healthy increase over the previous and so on.
But the higher the cap rises, the higher the salaries follow. While both Higgins and Boyd are free agents, the reality is Cincinnati’s top priority may be getting Chase signed to a long-term extension. He is going into his fourth season, and while the Bengals would pick up his fifth-year option, it may be more prudent to get him locked up now.
Chase averages 89 receptions for 1,239 yards and 10 touchdowns in his three-year career. He still put up Pro Bowl numbers in 2023 with an injured Burrow and then his backup, Jake Browning. The latter had his brief moment of glory before plummeting back to reality.
Higgins fared less well, his production hindered by quarterback play. He also missed five games, but his yards per game came out the lowest of his four-year career. In 12 games, he caught just 42 passes for 656 yards and five touchdowns.
Yet some of his best games of the year did come with Browning. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, for example, he caught five passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. Most of that came on his 80-yard touchdown. And that was in a too-little-too-late blowout loss. Pittsburgh already led 24-0 by that point.
As for Boyd, his Steady Eddie ways over a seven-year career could endear him to any number of teams—including the Steelers, who could use a reliable slot option. He provides a baseline level of professionalism and production even as he nears age 30.
Of course, the ultimate variable is the market. That will determine whether and who the Bengals can afford to keep, particularly Higgins. They may very much want to, I’m sure. But you can’t always get what you want.
