Report: Tee Higgins parts ways with agent amid uncertain future
Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (85) against the Los Angeles Rams during Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins will be seeking a huge contract after the season, and a new agent is going to represent him in future negotiations.
Higgins has parted ways with agent David Mulugheta, according to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Mulugheta had represented Higgins for four years.
The timing of the report is interesting. Following Monday night’s 27-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was surprisingly candid when discussing Higgins’ future with the team. Burrow said he is confident that Higgins, who is playing under the franchise tag this season, will be back with the team in 2025.
“I’m confident we are going to be able to do what it takes to bring Tee back,” Burrow said. “I know that I am going to do what it takes to get him back. So, he can have those talks; those are going to be offseason discussions. I think we are excited about that opportunity.”
Higgins and the Bengals tried to work out a long-term deal this past offseason, but the two sides were unable to come to an agreement. Cincinnati also still needs to sign Ja’Marr Chase to an extension, so many have assumed Higgins will be the odd man out.
But on Wednesday, Burrow went as far as to say he would be “very disappointed” if the Bengals do not re-sign Higgins. ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported the same day that there were “rumblings that Higgins is pondering an agent change.”
It probably is not a coincidence that Burrow spoke up about Higgins’ contract situation at around the same time the receiver fired his agent. Perhaps there is a sense among the team that negotiations will be in a better place now that Mulugheta is no longer in charge of them. Or, Burrow might be trying to make a last-ditch effort to nudge the Bengals in the direction he wants them to go.
Higgins is a big part of Cincinnati’s offense. He has 45 catches for 581 yards and 5 touchdowns in 8 games this season. It remains to be seen if the Bengals can afford to keep both him and Chase, but it is no secret why Burrow is hoping for that outcome.
