Joe Burrow met with the media this week following the conclusion of the Cincinnati Bengals’ 2023 season, and the franchise quarterback was clear that he hopes to have Tee Higgins back with the team.

Burrow made a pitch for Higgins when addressing the future of the star receiver, who is an impending free agent after playing out the final year of his rookie contract.

“Obviously, we’d love to have Tee back,” Burrow said during his press conference. “He’s a big part of what we’ve done here. It’s no secret, our relationship. So, I expect Tee to be back. I think that’s the sentiment in the locker room. We all want Tee back.”

Higgins posted back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2021 and 2022 and has nearly 3,700 career receiving yards, but the fourth-year Clemson pro’s production dropped off this season as he dealt with injuries. The 2020 second-round draft pick played in a career-low 12 games while catching 42 passes for 656 yards and five touchdowns.

Burrow, another member of the Bengals’ 2020 draft class, said “we made sure things were in place” during his contract negotiations in order to give the franchise flexibility to keep his best weapons around for the future.

Higgins has been one of the top playmakers for Burrow, and he described Higgins as the epitome of a Cincinnati Bengal.

“We know what kind of player he is, we know what kind of person he is,” said Burrow, who signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension heading into the 2023 season.

“He’s what being a Bengal is all about. So, we’ll see, but I think we should have a good opportunity (to keep Higgins).”

Higgins is just one of the key players that the Bengals will have to make contract decisions on, along with players such as fellow receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd, and former Tiger defensive tackle D.J. Reader among others.

Regarding those contract decisions, Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor said “those are all conversations that we’ll continue to have upstairs” and “those are things that evolve,” adding “that’s what the next two months are for.”

As for Higgins and what the future holds, Taylor said, “It’s hard to imagine life without Tee Higgins.”

“Tee’s a big part of what we’re doing,” Taylor said.

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images