The Cincinnati Bengals have entered their offseason after a disappointing 6-11 season. The team has already made moves to ensure improvement for the 2026 season. They were also able to keep their coaching staff intact, as head coach Zac Taylor wanted. Now, for the Bengals, it is all about focusing on their roster and personnel as the season has come to an end and free agency nears.
One of the players who will no longer be a part of free agent rumors is superstar wide receiver Tee Higgins. After two years in which the Bengals gave Higgins the franchise-tag, they finally reached an agreement on a four-year $115 million extension. The move ensures the Bengals will be able to retain the trio of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins for the foreseeable future.
Now, after the season, the pair of wide receivers will suit up together once again.
Cincinnati Bengals Make Tee Higgins Announcement
With the season now over, the Cincinnati Bengals have announced that Tee Higgins will be making his first-ever Pro Bowl appearance. Higgins was not originally chosen, but he will replace wide receiver Zay Flowers on the Pro Bowl roster. Higgins finished the 2025 season with a career-high 11 receiving touchdowns and a total of 846 receiving yards.
The Bengals wide receiver missed out on the 1,000-yard mark for the third consecutive season. That was likely due to him missing a pair of games and dealing with the loss of starting quarterback Joe Burrow for most of the season. Regarding his production in the face of adversity this season, Higgins said, “We went through three different quarterbacks, and that’s tough on a receiver. But when the opportunities come my way, it’s my job to make the best of those opportunities and catch the ball. I’m just trying to do what I’m getting paid to do to the best of my ability.”
The 2025 season was rough on the Bengals. They missed out on the postseason for the third consecutive season, and had its worst record since 2020. When asked about the team failing to meet expectations, Higgins said, “We play this game to make it to the game that’s about to happen in the next few weeks. But when you don’t make the playoffs, you sit down and reflect on the season and come back in the offseason stronger and put a plan together to make a run.”
Bengals Pro Bowl Players
Despite the 2025 season being disappointing for Bengals fans, they will now have the ability to see Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins play together one more time before the league year comes to an end. When Chase, Higgins, and Joe Burrow were all available for Cincinnati, the team went 4-2.
The pair of receivers were the only two Bengals players to make the Pro Bowl. Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders made the Pro Bowl over Burrow, despite both having only eight starts this season and Sanders having more interceptions than touchdowns. It is possible that the NFL asked Burrow to participate and he declined, but that information has not been made public.
Bengals Announce Tee Higgins News as Offseason Ramps Up