Bengals’ Duke Tobin balks at Tee Higgins trade rumors: ‘Go find your own’
Cincinnati Bengals director of personnel Duke Tobin balked at the rumors swirling that wide receiver Tee Higgins could be traded.
Tobin adamantly stated the team is not interested in trading the star wide receiver.
“No,” Tobin said when asked if the Bengals have heard from teams about a trade for Higgins. “I’m not in the business of making other teams better. I’m in the business of making the Cincinnati Bengals better. That’s not on my mind. They want a receiver, go find your own. In my opinion, Tee Higgins is a good piece for the Cincinnati Bengals. So, the trade stuff is a little ridiculous right now.”
Higgins, 24, just finished his third season with the Bengals. The homegrown talent has played a huge role in the team’s success over the last two seasons.
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In addition to a contract extension for quarterback Joe Burrow, the Bengals are also planning to work on one for Higgins this offseason. Higgins is entering the final year of his deal in Cincinnati.
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When asked why trading Higgins is not something the team is interested, Tobin pointed to all the wide receiver's done for the team since they drafted him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
“He's exactly what we're hoping for when we draft a guy: A guy we draft who fits a role that we develop in a lot of way, does it the right way, fits into our culture and Tee is an exceptional football player,” Tobin said. “I envision him being a part of what we're doing going forward for a long time. That's the hope. We want our guys, especially our guys who come in, to prove that they can help us win in a big way."
How long can the Bengals keep Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins together?
The Bengals are hoping to be able to keep Ja’Marr Chase, Higgins and Burrow together as long as they can. It will be challenging to do so, though. The wide receiver market has exploded over the last couple of years. Regardless of what happens with the negotiation process between the Bengals and Higgins, he's under contract in Cincinnati for one more season.
Higgins is coming off two consecutive years recording over 1,000 receiving yards. He caught 74 passes in each of those two seasons and tallied 13 total touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Tee Higgins trade rumors shot down by Cincinnati Bengals' Duke Tobin
