The Cincinnati Bengals have a key decision to make on former Clemson star receiver Tee Higgins.

The 2020 second-round pick has played out his rookie contract and will hit free agency in March if the Bengals don’t sign him to an extension or franchise tag him in order to keep him in Cincinnati for the 2024-25 season.

Higgins dealt with injuries in 2023 and had a down year, but he has been highly productive for the most part in his NFL career, and this national outlet believes he should be rewarded for his body of work with a larger contract.

Pro Football Focus recently named Higgins among six pending free agents on offense who deserve to get paid, and be paid among the top 12 highest-paid players at their position during the upcoming free agency cycle.

Here’s what PFF’s Jonathon Macri wrote about Higgins, who caught only 42 passes for 656 yards and five touchdowns in 2023 but had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons the previous two years:

Unlike most names on this list, 2023 was a significant down year for Higgins, which can be viewed as concerning, but there were also injury reasons for his unproductive year, both to himself and his star quarterback. When looking at Higgins’ body of work through his rookie contract, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if 2023 turns out to be an outlier in a strong NFL career. Through his first three seasons, Higgins posted at least 900 receiving yards each year with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons heading into 2023. Unfortunately, Higgins managed just 656 receiving yards across 12 games this past year — five of which were without Joe Burrow under center.

Higgins was a top-15 wide receiver according to PFF WAR in 2021 and 2022 before this down season in 2023 and when using his efficiency metrics across his career, including 2023, he still ranks among the best in the league at just 25 years old. Whether he re-signs with the Cincinnati Bengals or finds a new home, Higgins should be considered among the very best the 2024 free agency class has to offer. He is projected to earn about $21M per year, according to the PFF free agency tracker, which would put him among the top-10 paid players at his position.

Higgins was drafted by the Bengals in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The 6-foot-4, 219-pounder has hauled in 257 receptions for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns over his first four NFL seasons.