Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins expects to stay with the team in 2024.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is being honest about where he expects to play this coming season. Higgins says he expects to remain a member of the Bengals for the 2024 campaign.

There has been a torrent of speculation about Higgins’ relationship with the team, following the 2023 season. Higgins was rumored to have requested a trade from the Bengals. The Pittsburgh Steelers looked into acquiring Higgins in recent days, per CBS Sports. Despite those reports, the wide receiver made a point at his youth football camp on Sunday to affirm his commitment with the Ohio franchise. The receiver was asked if he would be playing in Cincinnati for the 2024 season.

“We’ll see, I do anticipate it,” Higgins said with a smile. “I’ve grown a love for Cincy that I didn’t think I would, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Higgins’ numbers

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Higgins has proven to be one of the strongest wide receivers in the AFC the last few years. He had a dip in production in 2023, catching a career-low 42 balls. He finished the season with 656 receiving yards, with five touchdowns. It didn’t help the receiver that the Bengals lost Joe Burrow midseason due to an injury.

Higgins had two fantastic seasons before that, notching more than 1,000 receiving yards in both 2021 and 2022. He had a career-high seven touchdown season in 2022. The wideout has spent his entire career in Cincinnati, joining the team before the 2020 campaign.

The Bengals struggled along with Higgins in 2023. The team finished 9-8, missing the playoffs while seeing all of their division rivals go into the AFC playoffs. It makes sense that other teams would want Higgins, including the Steelers. Pittsburgh shook up nearly their entire offense this offseason, adding quarterbacks Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. The Steelers also parted ways with receiver Diontae Johnson, who was traded to the Carolina Panthers this offseason.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. The Bengals’ front office is rumored to not have agreed to a new deal with Higgins on a long-term contract, per CBS Sports. The team does want to keep him as of time of writing. Bengals and Steelers fans will surely pay close attention in the next several weeks, as the situation may change due to how things play out in the NFL Draft. Both teams have first round picks, with the Bengals selecting 18th. The Steelers have the 20th overall pick. Other teams may give the Bengals an offer they can’t refuse, as Higgins still has plenty of snaps left in him.

Higgins played his college football at Clemson, where he won a College Football Playoff national championship. He was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Bengals. The 2024 NFL Draft begins on April 25.