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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins shared a cryptic post amid his uncertain future with the team.
Higgins, 26, shared a "cap" emoji on his X account Tuesday (February 25), insinuating lying, though not specifying who or what he was referring to. The post was, however, shared shortly after Duke Tobin, the Bengals' director of player personnel, claimed the team planned to sign both Higgins and primary wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase to long-term deals while addressing reporters at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday.
“We want them signed,” Tobin said via ProFootballTalk. “Is it easy? No. Are we up to it? We are up to it. We’ve done a lot of these things.”
Last week, Sports Illustrated's James Rapien reported that the Bengals were expected to franchise tag Higgins for the second consecutive offseason during the tag window period for NFL teams, which runs from February 18 to March 4. Higgins was reported to have expected to get tagged again, which will stop him from hitting the free agent market as one of the top targets at his position.
The two sides had less dialogue on a long-term contract last offseason and Higgins was the only player to be tagged that didn't ultimately receive a multi-year extension prior to the season. Higgins has since changed agents, signing with Rocky Arceneaux and Caitlin Aoki of Alliance Sports, which play a vital role in potential negotiations.
Quarterback Joe Burrow, who signed a massive extension in 2024, publicly stated his intention to have Higgins return in 2025.
“Tee is a need, yes,” Burrow said in December via Sports Illustrated. "Those discussions are ongoing and I'm confident that I think we're gonna be able to do what it takes to bring Tee back."
The Bengals are also in the final year of Chase's rookie deal and Burrow has stated his willingness to restructure his contract to keep his top two targets.
"We have the cap space to get it done," Burrow said when asked about keeping both receivers during an appearance on FS1's Breakfast Ball earlier this month. "[Defensive end] Trey Hendrickson, Tee, Ja'Marr and [tight end] Mike Gesicki -- we all want to play football together."