The Cincinnati Bengals have placed a franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins, and quarterback Joe Burrow seems thrilled to have him back for at least another year.

“Having him back this year, obviously, I hope we’re going to have him longer, but it’s exciting for me to have him this year and then it’s a nice little payday for him,” Burrow said, via Ben Baby of ESPN. “Then hopefully he gets another one here soon.”

That being said, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin did not rule out potentially trading Higgins this offseason, as he was rather diplomatic on Higgins’ future with the team when asked.

“In terms of our intentions going forward, and answering hypotheticals of what could and couldn’t come about, I won’t get into that,” Tobin said late last month, via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. “But we feel like we’re a better team with him. The reason we franchised him is because we would like to have him. He’s not under contract, and it’s hard for me to predict all the different scenarios that could happen. But we feel strongly about Tee Higgins and his fit with us.”

Cincinnati has plenty of cap room heading into 2024, so financially speaking, the team can absolutely afford to keep Higgins next season.

But it’s the future that the Bengals may be worried about.

Fellow wide out Ja’Marr Chase is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, and with him being Cincy’s No. 1 receiver, he will almost certainly take priority over Higgins over the long haul.

Can the Bengals afford to keep both Chase and Higgins long term?

It remains to be seen, but chances are, Tee Higgins will play out 2024 in Cincinnati, meaning Joe Burrow will still have two elite pass-catchers to throw to next season.

What happens beyond that, however, remains to be seen.

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