Tee Higgins won’t talk Bengals extension during season, expected to be free agent

The latest update in the saga between the Cincinnati Bengals and star wideout Tee Higgins isn’t a shocking one.

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Higgins and the Bengals won’t talk about an extension during the regular season and he is expected to enter free agency next offseason.

The news comes on the heels of the Bengals and Higgins being unable to come to terms on an extension this past offseason at a time when the team got major extensions done for Trey Hendrickson, Logan Wilson and Joe Burrow.

It’s expected because the Bengals don’t negotiate contracts like that during a season and Higgins and his reps don’t have a reason not to push this to free agency, where he would likely receive No. 1 wide receiver money.

For fans and all involved, really, it’s a bit of deja vu in the Jessie Bates vein (Higgins shares the same agent, David Mulugheta). There’s a solid chance Higgins, too, ends up on the receiving end of a franchise tag.

With Ja’Marr Chase eligible for an extension of his own next offseason, it continues to be a tricky two-year stretch for a Bengals team that would presumably like to keep the core around Burrow intact.

Higgins recently commented on Burrow’s extension.