Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor spent a good potion of his Monday news conference discussing his reasons for firing four members of his staff in defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, offensive line coach Frank Pollack, defensive line coach Marion Hobby and linebackers coach James Bettcher.
But Taylor also touched on some other key decision that he – and most Bengals fans – hope will not lead to separations.
As Joe Burrow has done the last several weeks, Taylor struck a positive tone when it came to the topic of keeping wide receiver Tee Higgins on the roster.
Taylor was asked if he had been lobbying the front office to bring back Higgins.
“I think ‘lobby’ is not the right word,” he said. “We are lockstep in how we communicate every week of the season, every week of the offseason. So those are conversations that we’ll have.
“We’ve got a lot of great players, and Tee’s one of them certainly,” Taylor continued. “I’m very hopeful that that’ll work out to where we are able to get him back.”
Higgins is set to become a free agent after playing the 2024 season on the franchise tag.
The Bengals could franchise tag him again, but that number would be far higher than the $21.8 million salary Higgins earned this year.
Tagging a player for the second time requires a 120 percent increase from the previous season, which would bring his price tag to $26.2 million.
The Bengals also are trying to reach a long-term agreement with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
As is the case with Higgins, the cost of keeping Chase is going to be far more expensive this offseason due to the front office’s inability – or unwillingness – to be proactive and get the deals done last year.
Chase already was looking to top Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson as the highest paid non-quarterback in the league.
By becoming the fifth player in NFL history to win the receiving Triple Crown by leading the league in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns – and breaking or matching franchise records in all three categories – Chase literally is going to make the Bengals pay for not getting the deal done in 2024.
Regardless of the higher price of doing business, the expectation is that the Bengals will sign Chase to a massive extension this offseason.
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