Burrow "confident" Bengals can re-sign Higgins

[WeezyBengal]

(12-10-2024, 03:30 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Burton not growing into at least an explosive backup for us makes me think it is possible we bring back Tee along with Joe's confidence.

When Tee DOES play, he brings another element even if he was dropping balls last night. He is injured a lot and that should drive his price down.

If we bring Tee back then it makes the Burton pick look even more foolish. 

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(12-10-2024, 03:29 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Look, where he ends up, or what the FO does is anyone's guess. 

But the idea that we cannot pay him is total BS. Completely factually untrue. Utter malarkey. 

We could have paid Reader as well. Rankins is double his cap hit this year 

Yep, plus Tee once again being injured for half the games makes him even more affordable. 

As long as we extend Ja'Marr and can fortify the trenches I am fine. We have the dough no problem.

[Luvnit2]

(12-10-2024, 03:03 PM)CKwi88 Wrote: I believe the young folk call this "copium".

Barring another tag (if that's even possible". Tee will be playing elsewhere next year. A team will certainly throw too much money at him for the Bengals to keep him.

Options for Bengals and Tee

1, Sign a l long term deal ((4 or 5 year) with salary increases each year, but less guaranteed money due to his injury history. 
2. Tag Tee again and keep him
3. Tag Tee and trade him

I have no doubt Tee could get a 1st round and a 4th or 5th round in a trade. Bengals give permission to team they have a deal worked out the ability to negotiate long term deal with Tee

4. Let Tee enter FA, and they get the best 3rd round compensary pick in 2026 draft.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(12-10-2024, 03:31 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: If we bring Tee back then it makes the Burton pick look even more foolish. 

Oh well, cannot care about what it looks like. Just make the right moves, you have to admit you made a mistake to grow from it.

Burton is really talented, cannot blame them for the pick. He was probably the 3rd most talented WR in that Draft. Worth the gamble.

If he gets his head on straight and makes a positive impact so be it. But Tee is a good player for us when he plays.

I want Gesicki back too though.

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

Just for fun:

Player, Snaps, Pressures

Reader: 350, 16
----------------
BJ Hill: 499, 22
Jenkins: 367, 7
Rankins: 286, 4
Jackson: 158, 6
Tufele: 195, 3
Carter: 171, 3

[Sled21]

(12-10-2024, 03:31 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: If we bring Tee back then it makes the Burton pick look even more foolish. 

No, it really doesn't. It just means they tried a replacement player for Tee and it did not work out. Trying something new is not foolish. 

[Sled21]

(12-10-2024, 03:34 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Oh well, cannot care about what it looks like. Just make the right moves, you have to admit you made a mistake to grow from it.

Burton is really talented, cannot blame them for the pick. He was probably the 3rd most talented WR in that Draft. Worth the gamble.

If he gets his head on straight and makes a positive impact so be it. But Tee is a good player for us when he plays.

I want Gesicki back too though.

Absolutely

[CJD]

I chalk this up as just talk. Burrow had the chance to ensure Higgins and Chase would stay, but he chose to have a record breaking extension.

I don't blame him at all for that. But if he wanted to be Tom Brady, he had the opportunity to be Tom Brady.

If the Bengals were going to sign Higgins long term, they would have done it already. Due to the rising salary cap, players get more expensive every off season. There's no way the Browns don't know that. So by tagging him and then ignoring him all off season, that told me what I needed to know about their intentions for Higgins.

Now they need to give probably 5 to 7M more AAV than they would have last off season to Chase because they were, again, too stupid to sign their players early. I just don't see how they can fit Higgins in while still fixing this albatross of a defense.

[*bengalfan74*]

(12-11-2024, 09:51 AM)CJD Wrote: I chalk this up as just talk. Burrow had the chance to ensure Higgins and Chase would stay, but he chose to have a record breaking extension.

I don't blame him at all for that. But if he wanted to be Tom Brady, he had the opportunity to be Tom Brady.

If the Bengals were going to sign Higgins long term, they would have done it already. Due to the rising salary cap, players get more expensive every off season. There's no way the Browns don't know that. So by tagging him and then ignoring him all off season, that told me what I needed to know about their intentions for Higgins.

Now they need to give probably 5 to 7M more AAV than they would have last off season to Chase because they were, again, too stupid to sign their players early. I just don't see how they can fit Higgins in while still fixing this albatross of a defense.

Exactly

The Bengals F.O. is proactive on absolutely nothing! And it's one of the downfalls of this team. They're always in the let it ride, we'll see how it plays out, lets stay loyal to borderline level player A's contract, (who 95% of NFL teams would cut) And it backfires way more often than not.

There's dozen of examples going back thru the years. It's maddening beyond any sense of reason!

[*Synric*]

(12-10-2024, 02:53 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: That'd be the Bengals FO having to pay MORE guaranteed money out of pocket this offseason by turning ~$20m of Burrow's base salary into a signing bonus to make more space.

Also Chase is about to get $90m guaranteed at signing.
Also Hendrickson wants an extension that'll be another $45m guaranteed at signing.
A Tee contract would probably be another $45m guaranteed at signing.

So the Bengals FO would need to immediately spend/escrow $200m in signing bonuses and guarantees this offseason before even beginning to consider actually adding anyone to the current team to actually make it better than it's been over two straight playoff misses.

Don't see it happening.

Joe's 2025 base salary was already guaranteed at signing so that wouldn't matter. It would just make his cap hits slightly bigger the rest of his contract.


I agree though Ja'Marr Chase and Trey Hendrickson are likely going to dominate the guaranteed money this off-season which hurts the team in free agency. (Not to mention coaches who will get guaranteed money). 

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(12-11-2024, 10:55 AM)Synric Wrote: Joe's 2025 base salary was already guaranteed at signing so that wouldn't matter. It would just make his cap hits slightly bigger the rest of his contract.


I agree though Ja'Marr Chase and Trey Hendrickson are likely going to dominate the guaranteed money this off-season which hurts the team in free agency. (Not to mention coaches who will get guaranteed money). 

The part that matters for our FO is that it's more money they would have to pay in advance as a lump sum in March '25 or something rather than 18 installments weekly from Sept-Jan '25-'26. Which is why signing bonuses and guaranteed money is always a problem with this FO. 

[Whatever]

(12-10-2024, 10:55 AM)Synric Wrote: Restructuring will only lower Joe's cap hit for 2025 and raise it for the rest of his contract. That wouldn't create space for a long term Tee Higgins deal.

Depends on the restructure.  I mean, the last 2 years of Burrow 's deal are getting torn up for another extension.

[WeezyBengal]

(12-11-2024, 09:42 AM)Sled21 Wrote: No, it really doesn't. It just means they tried a replacement player for Tee and it did not work out. Trying something new is not foolish. 

You could have re-signed Tee a couple years ago, avoided all the drama, had him at a drastically cheaper price, and saved on the third round draft pick. 

If they bring Tee back, then its a masterclass on how to not go about retaining your players properly. 

[ERIC1]

(12-10-2024, 03:34 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: Options for Bengals and Tee

1, Sign a l long term deal ((4 or 5 year) with salary increases each year, but less guaranteed money due to his injury history. 
2. Tag Tee again and keep him
3. Tag Tee and trade him

I have no doubt Tee could get a 1st round and a 4th or 5th round in a trade. Bengals give permission to team they have a deal worked out the ability to negotiate long term deal with Tee

4. Let Tee enter FA, and they get the best 3rd round compensary pick in 2026 draft.

tee Higgins the often injured player that drops easy passes is not going to get us a 1st rounder

[jj22]

Remove the name and how much are you paying a receiver with 45 receptions and 581 yards with 4 games left...... Ranked amongst receivers.....

And yes it's due to injury (some), but you can't ignore that aspect either.

[BFritz21]

Of course Burrow's going to come out and say that because he's friends with Tee and also has to rely on him the rest of this season, but Burrow's not dumb and he wants what's best for the team.

He (basically) called for coaching changes, but you think he's going to want to break the bank for a player that can't stay on the field and that plays a position that are a dime a dozen? That's obviously not true in Chase's case or other elite WRs, but Tee isn't elite.

Burrow needs to take Burton aside and say "listen, we need you to get your head on straight and keep it there. You can be a stud in this league and I'll get you paid if you just don't be stupid."

We took him in the third round when he could have gone in the second, so why would we pay Higgins stupid money when Burton can fill his role and we can use the money in other positions where we have more of a need, like d line or secondary, or IOL.

NO to Tee!

[*pally*]

Jeremy Fowler reports that David Mulugheta is no longer listed as Tee's agent on the NFLPA site but that no one else is listed other. There ave been rumors all season about Tee looking for new representation. The Bengals and Mulugheta do not have a good relationship so it could be a positive for negotiations if Tee starts working with someone else

[Au165]

(12-11-2024, 03:30 PM)pally Wrote: Jeremy Fowler reports that David Mulugheta is no longer listed as Tee's agent on the NFLPA site but that no one else is listed other.  There ave been rumors all season about Tee looking for new representation.  The Bengals and Mulugheta do not have a good relationship so it could be a positive for negotiations if Tee starts working with someone else

This combined with the Burrow statement kind of feels like there may be a plan amongst the players to get this thing figured out. My stance is still that he is too injury prone to allocate the resources to him he will demand, but at the same time I can appreciate if they can find away to keep all their home grown stars which we have knocked the FO for not doing as of late.

[WeezyBengal]

(12-11-2024, 03:30 PM)pally Wrote: Jeremy Fowler reports that David Mulugheta is no longer listed as Tee's agent on the NFLPA site but that no one else is listed other.  There ave been rumors all season about Tee looking for new representation.  The Bengals and Mulugheta do not have a good relationship so it could be a positive for negotiations if Tee starts working with someone else

Whoah, this is actually pretty wild and really leads me to believe he's going to stay...

Why do you need an agent change, though? Just tell him what you want and to get the deal done - he works for you. 

[QueenCity]

Interesting paired with Burrows comments....

From the Bengals perspective unless Higgins is taking a discount I don't get it.  The money needs to be thrown into the defense. We've talking about this for months/years #1 money for a half a season player is not good business.

Would I love for Tee to be a Bengals for life... YES of course!  I'd love for Higgins to find a way to be healthy for 90% of the games.