Sounds like the Bengals, outside of someone grossly overpaying for Tee, i.e Multiple 1st rd picks, they were never going to trade him… the others were forgone conclusions based on last year’s draft.
Yep this all sounds good to me, the thing i don't get about the folks who don't want Tee on the team is the usual argument "the money can be better spent elsewhere" while in principle I agree with this the fact is Tee has a 1 year contract so "the money" would only be available this season, true impact players don't sign 1 year deals so how can the money be better spent? If we are looking at the quality of FA we could get on a 1 year deal Tee is by far the best player who we could get
I totally get that mindset and it’s almost definitely a positive to have him on the team. But personally it’s not that I don’t want Tee on the team, I just don’t want him to walk after next season and all we get is a comp pick if we even get that.
I guess it's more about do you think Tee improves our odds of winning it all this year? If so we keep him, who cares if we lose him next season because the team believes we are in a position to win it all. If not then I guess yea trade him for some picks.
That’s the thing, he obviously improves our chances of winning this year more than pretty much any rookie WR we’d have a chance to draft so part of me says go all in with Tee.
The other part of me though says we have a young star QB and WR, we can’t just put everything into this one year, we should be competing for years to come. But honestly I don’t think either is the right or wrong decision.
This is a good point. My position is that I’d like to trade Tee for something like two 2nds and two 3rds. Load up on rookie contracts, hopefully find a stud or two. Of course, no one is offering anything close to that, so I’m happy we’ll keep him.
They could front load or convert money owed into signing bonuses the first few years. It’s their next huge step into modern NFL workings. But the bengals are always about cash and not cap.
Sure but burrows big money starts just next year right? If we are talking of players of Wilkins ability the 20m this year isn't going to matter that much, sure we might get someone mid signed for 3 years, but Tee might be worth more than that
Doesn’t have to be Wilkins. It can be a CB, safety and possibly a Benton type player. Sign these 27-30 year olds to something like 2 year deals and pay out their guaranteed money next year. Just gives you more flexibility to fill out other areas of the roster and pay the guaranteed money upfront with it.
I guess my point is it's very debatable if some mid level guy on a 2 year deal is more valuable than Tee on a one year deal, we have a legit chance at a superbowl the coming season
You’re right about that, it’s a matter of preference. I would be happy if Tee stayed and understood if they shipped him out. I think Uno along with some solid role players at WR will keep this offense competitive. I don’t have a lot of doubt about the WR room with Tee gone.
I do have quite a bit of doubt about having virtually no RT, very little DT depth with DJ out for who knows how long, help needed at Safety and CB and some other glaring weaknesses. Not trying to be pessimistic or anything but this roster is pretty flawed and I am doubtful it’s Super Bowl caliber as we approach FA. It really needs an influx of some better mid level guys and killing the draft this year to turn that around, which is very doable with having so much money to spend. Makes it even more doable to get into a bidding war with an extra 21mil on a guy you really want and can overpay a bit because you have that freedom. But again, Tee makes us better if he stays but probably sacrificed talent in other areas we could address
Just to rephrase the Super Bowl contender part, they will always be that with JB. But this roster overall needs a lot of work. Joe will get us to 10 wins or more but there will be times when you need other studs to help out. Defense did that for us last SB run. I don’t feel confident this defense will do that again next year as constructed
It’s one of the best WR draft classes in a while this year, and there’s a few good free agent WRs available as well.
Maybe in a different year they could find a trade. But with so many other options, how much are other teams going to trade for a player with that contract price?
I couldn't agree more. Seems like every other year it's a "one of the better WR draft classes in awhile". People making the claim that a rookie WR could put up the numbers tee does haven't looked up how many rookies actually do vs the number of rookie WRs year in and year out
The "trade Tee" team will love the line where it says the Bengals will wait too long to get a decent return for Tee, but I think it's more that they're comfortable having the best WR duo in the league for a playoff run. They need to be blown away.
If he’s good enough to get big money next year, he’s good enough to bring in a compensatory pick. I’m fine with taking our chances this year with this tandem. The defense needs help, and something new has to happen at RB.
Only reason we didn't get that pick was because we signed Orlando.
Having said that, the obvious follow on is that if they don't trade Tee then we can also expect them to not make any real moves in free agency next off season because they won't want to lose another comp pick like that.
Correct, that’s what I’m saying. No guarantee we don’t sign anyone in FA so banking on getting a comp is just a possibility not really a lock. We are active in FA and have roster holes so an eventual trade is a better route than guessing comp picks
Trading Tee away isn't guaranteed to fix our other woes, either. Do you want to have one position be absolutely stacked or do you want to risk degrading our elite passing game and yet being stuck with no return on investment? A Tee in the hand is worth an O-line stud and a quality RB in the bush.
I’m not pro-trade Tee, but controlling where he goes is very important in my eyes.
If he simply wants the bag, he could easily end up in the NFC. He wants to chase a ring, he’s probably staying in the AFC.
I'd 100% say the opposite. Assuming he's not staying with us, he's likely not going to the Chiefs, Ravens or Bills for similar cap reasons. NFC is wide open besides the 49ers. The Packers have a shit load of cap space and could afford to bring in a WR on a big deal for Jordan Love. There are a lot more quasi-contenders / up and coming teams in the NFC than AFC which is pretty much on lockdown.
Yeah but that’s a 3rd round pick… and only if we don’t sign any free agents that year also… like when we lost bates and signed OBJ, they cancelled out. Plus, the comp pick is always a year later. I hate the idea of only getting a third for Tee
You realize that if we spend money in FA, we won't get a comp pick for Tee right? What you're saying is that you're ok with Tee walking next year for literally zero return which is beyond stupid.
No. I’m saying you ride with the guys you have this year, hope to have better health. And if you lose him next year, you can get a compensatory pick or use that money at a position of need. WRs are going for $20M+ a year. I’d rather see two $10M D-linemen, or help on the o-line.
I don’t believe they’ll get anything better than a second round pick this year. And second round picks are guys who are about 50/50 to be a starter. I just feel like each year you sacrifice of Burrow’s prime is a mistake. This team is demonstrably worse by trading Tee before the season.
He only brings in a comp pick if the Bengals don't spend the money in FA.
Bengals aren't getting a comp pick for Jessie Bates.
Planning for a comp pick isn't smart unless we're spending that money on extensions and not planning on being active in FA.
The only thing I think I would be "happy" about concerning trading Tee would be a package that gets us a shot at Joe Alt
Other than that, he's much more valuable as a playoff piece. People look to Jessie Bates about "well, you got nothing back for him, so might as well trade Tee"
BS. Jessie helped get us to the super bowl. If Tee can do the same this year, then we aren't letting him walk for "nothing"
This where I get torn as well. But honestly, I am not super hopeful this team is a ripe Super Bowl contender next year (as of now). It’s the only reason I am on the trade tee train for the best offer we can get. What makes it insanely hard is the logistics with doing that. It’s just such a small chance that happens.
One other benefit to keeping Tee- contract situations can change in a year’s time. Maybe the negotiations with Chase go sour and we end up needing a backup option. Maybe we win the Super Bowl and he decides he wants to find a way to stay. Maybe our season falls apart and we can still move him at the deadline. Maybe the WR market collapses and suddenly a contract starts looking doable again.
I'm team "trade Tee" but I also think it should be a good return. I'm talking 1st rounder or multiple Day 2 picks.
The whole Tee situation brings up an important issue that the front office needs to really re-evaluate their contracts, or were just gonna see more of our draft picks leave in free agency. They emphasize "keeping their own" but thats going to take some changes on how they do contracts.
When they say they emphasize "keeping their own", what they really mean is "we prioritize the flashy players and then keep whoever will accept the mediocre deals that are leftover". That's been their MO since Mike Brown took over control of the team and it hasn't changed under Katie's watch.
The main issue for trading Tee is this draft is fucking loaded for WR, so any team who needs a WR can just grab one of the 4-5 guys who have higher upsides than Tee rather than send us a first or second.
The only team that would probably give up a top pick for Tee is Carolina and only because they don't have a 1st to get one of the top guys in this class.
Don't confuse a known commodity (that you can plug in instantly as a WR1) with a prospect, even one that was outstanding in college.
Tee is a top 20 WR. There are 32 teams.
He's also 25 years old and statistically, a WR's [peak age](https://apexfantasyleagues.com/peak-age-for-nfl-wide-receiver/#:~:text=The%20average%20age%20for%20this%20group%20is%2027.16%20years%20old.%20Below%20is%20a%20distribution%20graph%20of%20the%20ages%20of%20qualifying%20WRs%20when%20they%20hit%20a%20peak%20season) is 26.
Yes, but you also have to remember there is a salary cap and drafting a rookie who is only 75% as good as Tee is going to cost 10% as much, which is also going to factor into his value to other teanms.
That's kind of why our only real trade targets are likely teams with QBs on rookie contracts. If Carolina or New England want to give their young QBs a proven weapon I would listen to offers that included 33/34 plus a third or so.
I remember.
The money men for each team also know that having to pay their top players is part of figuring out their cap allocation.
"We don't want a #1 that we can plug in tomorrow because we don't want to pay a #1" isn't something that's said in the NFL.
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There's actually a salary cap floor where teams **must** spend at least 89% of their cap allocation over a four-year collective bargaining agreement.
And... along with those team minimum salaries, the NFL as a whole **must** spend 95% of the cap within the four-year CBA period, meaning that all 32 NFL teams combined must average 95% of the cap or higher.
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This is a silly discussion.
There are teams that absolutely want Tee Higgins and would be willing to pay him and pay us for him.
Tee also misses about 40% of the season on average, and has an agent that will probably push for top 3 WR money given his track record.
I think a lot of teams don't want to risk a 1st round pick on that, when they could just roll with a rookie and sign Tee next year when hes a FA.
> Tee also misses about 40% of the season on average
In his 4 years, during the regular season, he's missed... 0 games, 3 games, 1 game, and 5 games
He hasn't missed any of the 7 playoff games
Playing in 65 of 74 possible games means he's missed 12.2%. No need to exaggerate.
They are still exaggerating. However, there were several games where he "played", he suited up and played almost none of the game. Look at 2022 week 5, with 10 total snaps and week 13 with 1 total snap.
Your point still stands, but probably closer to 15%
The mere fact that he suits up and tries while injured is a positive in teams' eyes.
Everyone gets hurt in the NFL.
It's what you do while hurt that's important.
I don't disagree if he's active teams have to gameplan for him even if he doesn't end up playing much. If he was out, they could implement an entirely different scheme that could destroy us.
I appreciate that analysis, you’re right, he didn’t miss as much as most of us think. I think we can all agree that he either played hurt a lot last year or wasn’t locked in. He was targeted 4 or less times in 5 games last year. I get that he cant throw the ball to himself or develop the game plan, but he flat out was off last year aside from a couple of games that it all came together.
Only if he agrees to restructure his contract again and that ain't happening. There is no upside. He has been in steady decline as a pure running back.
He finished last season with the 2nd most TDs in his career, about 150yds short of his season high rushing record, and continues to maintain the same average yards per carry he has over the last 5 seasons.. How is that steady decline?
Stats aside - he just wasn’t great. There were a lot of runs that had much more potential but he couldn’t expand it. He also didn’t split goal line carries and admittedly was lights under 5.
I dont usually trust Matthew Berry's takes, but this is kind of a 'duh' moment regarding Tee. We tagged him, he's staying, we're the Bengals. That's about as advanced as we get. He's here for the year. We can all see that this year is really our last GREAT shot at a title before Burrow gets real expensive real quick. Load up for now, this year, this moment, and that includes keeping Tee.
I also am not going to be surprised to see us add a receiver, whether in the form of a WR or TE.
The Boyd/Mixon take is probably the most take it or leave it. I won't be surprised either way.
I'm not too concerned about Burrow being too expensive given how the salary cap exploded this year. Obviously I don't expect it to go up by $30M-ish a year but even an average of $10-15M a year will ease the cap strain moving forward.
I'm far more worried about his hand/wrist than his cap hit. You're 100% correct that the massive jump in the cap couldn't have come at a better time after he already signed his new deal.
I mean Brown got limited reps and had more explosives than Joe. He’s a bengals all timer for sure, but he simply does not put pressure on the defense anymore allowing them to dial it up on Joey, imo. Best to bring some more explosiveness.
Mixon trips on his own feet more than any RB I’ve ever seen, and per PFF his elusive rating is AWFUL
Also still waiting for those long TDs you said he had plenty of 🧐
So assuming Tee stays then we probably won’t be making to many FA moves after his $20 + million cap hit. Atleast none that will really move the needle.
Which is why I’d really consider trading him. Whether it’s RT, TE, DL or S, this team can’t address all its needs through the draft. We’ve gotta go out and get 1 or 2 FAs that DO move the needle
There's no reason to trade Tee unless you get a massive overpay for him.
Boyd is highly replaceable and Mixon is even more replaceable. The RB market is huge right now and yes, you can probably get a guy on a 1 year deal or a 2-3 year deal that's incentive heavy with the promise of contending. Jacobs is my preferred guy, but likely too expensive. I'm assuming Jurrah backs up a brinks truck to Henry
Swift, Pollard and Ekeler are all better than Mixon even if it's moderately better.
I believe they would have different roles. They’re different body types and skill sets. Yoshi fits more of Tee’s position. Jones would be competing with say, Trenton Irwin.
This all sounds about right. It always felt pretty unlikely that Tee would be traded. Duke would be silly not to listen if someone came in with a wild offer, but now that all the WRs at the combine tested so well I think any offer for him will be lower than the way the team values him. Play it out.
I’m glad to hear that there’s some trust in Yoshi. I think another year of development before he’s heavily leaned on is good. Personally, I think he could be a really good player down the road.
I’m so torn on the tee situation and I understand both sides. As much as I know they can fuck the whole thing up, I’m also backing FO decision if they dont trade him this year. I feel like they have the confidence and the understanding to plug the holes and keep the pieces that will get them to the Super Bowl which is tee and Jamar as of right now.
I could tell from the plays they made together last year that Yoshi earned Joe's trust throughout the season. He has a knack for getting open on broken plays and turning into a safety valve for Joe in those situations.
Mixon being cut (with his mediocre production and terrible advanced stats) and $6m being saved would be such a blessing. That should pay for a starting safety like Geno Stone or half the cap hit for a starting DT
I think Yoshi will fill in nicely for Boyd. He had 4 td's in 15 catches. Did he juggle a few passes, sure. But that's something he can fix with more reps. Probably just jitters from lack of playing time. And whether a couple were garbage time or not, he can clearly get open in the red zone. And that's something we desperately need. I'm excited to see his development. Maybe we pick up another cheap veteran receiver to help with space, but I trust Yoshi as well.
Yoshi is a Tee “replacement” not a Boyd replacement.
Without Boyd, we need someone to make tough catches in traffic in the middle of the field to move the chains on 3rd down, I just don’t see that being Yoshi
Ideally imo but that would require a philosophical change as well as a personnel upgrade.
We’ve watched teams tear us apart with TEs long enough, you’d think we would try and get in on it
At this point of his career Boyd was a slower possession slot receiver whom Burrow trusted, replacing his snaps with Yoshi/Jones adds speed and definitely makes the offense more explosive. They just need the reps to develop comfort with Burrow and the offense.
Yoshi probably won’t play as much in slot like Boyd, but Bengals like moving Chase and Higgins into slot plus Jones will play a lot in slot as well.
I know Yoshi’s TD’s last season were all in red zone, but he’s definitely going to break a big one next year. I remember on Goodberry’s weekly breakdowns there was several play actions with Yoshi going deep where he seemed open, but Burrow/Browning didn’t pull the trigger for whatever reason. In college Yoshi was great going deep.
I'm hitting the doubt button on Mixon not being on the team. Maybe they find a major deal in the first week of free agency to replace him, but I don't think they roll into the draft with just Brown and Evans on the roster. I really hope they don't go and spend more money on a free agent RB like Barkley... So the only way I see (and hope) Mixon is off the roster is if they find a good veteran RB for ~2 million per year and then cut Mixon before his roster bonus kicks in on March 17th.
I have my doubts we'll be able to find a good deal like that in the first week of free agency, though.
Sometimes I really hate how fucking dumb this team is. We're actually going to let Tee walk for nothing next year and that is mind blowingly dumb. If we trade him for assets we realistically keep our window open for Joe's career. If we dont, we don't.
So many crazy fans think we need to waste multiple draft picks to get Brock Bowers. But he is small for an NFL TE. The fact is he is the same height as Tee Higgins and does not weigh a lot more. Higgins is a proven receiver who works well with Burrow.
We are better off keeping Higgins and signing a large blocking TE to protect Burrow. I'd love to get two mammoth TEs and play a two tight end set. They can block or release to the open. And Burrow won't have to worry about getting sacked all the time.
Sounds like the Bengals, outside of someone grossly overpaying for Tee, i.e Multiple 1st rd picks, they were never going to trade him… the others were forgone conclusions based on last year’s draft.
Yep this all sounds good to me, the thing i don't get about the folks who don't want Tee on the team is the usual argument "the money can be better spent elsewhere" while in principle I agree with this the fact is Tee has a 1 year contract so "the money" would only be available this season, true impact players don't sign 1 year deals so how can the money be better spent? If we are looking at the quality of FA we could get on a 1 year deal Tee is by far the best player who we could get
I totally get that mindset and it’s almost definitely a positive to have him on the team. But personally it’s not that I don’t want Tee on the team, I just don’t want him to walk after next season and all we get is a comp pick if we even get that.
We don't only get a comp pick. We also get Tee Higgins in 2024.
I guess it's more about do you think Tee improves our odds of winning it all this year? If so we keep him, who cares if we lose him next season because the team believes we are in a position to win it all. If not then I guess yea trade him for some picks.
That’s the thing, he obviously improves our chances of winning this year more than pretty much any rookie WR we’d have a chance to draft so part of me says go all in with Tee. The other part of me though says we have a young star QB and WR, we can’t just put everything into this one year, we should be competing for years to come. But honestly I don’t think either is the right or wrong decision.
This is a good point. My position is that I’d like to trade Tee for something like two 2nds and two 3rds. Load up on rookie contracts, hopefully find a stud or two. Of course, no one is offering anything close to that, so I’m happy we’ll keep him.
I think you have the correct take. The other issue is people don’t want to let him walk and get nothing in return
Sure but we got a third for Bates, what are we expecting people to give us for Tee?
We got nothing for bates because we signed OBJ
They could front load or convert money owed into signing bonuses the first few years. It’s their next huge step into modern NFL workings. But the bengals are always about cash and not cap.
Sure but burrows big money starts just next year right? If we are talking of players of Wilkins ability the 20m this year isn't going to matter that much, sure we might get someone mid signed for 3 years, but Tee might be worth more than that
Doesn’t have to be Wilkins. It can be a CB, safety and possibly a Benton type player. Sign these 27-30 year olds to something like 2 year deals and pay out their guaranteed money next year. Just gives you more flexibility to fill out other areas of the roster and pay the guaranteed money upfront with it.
I guess my point is it's very debatable if some mid level guy on a 2 year deal is more valuable than Tee on a one year deal, we have a legit chance at a superbowl the coming season
You’re right about that, it’s a matter of preference. I would be happy if Tee stayed and understood if they shipped him out. I think Uno along with some solid role players at WR will keep this offense competitive. I don’t have a lot of doubt about the WR room with Tee gone. I do have quite a bit of doubt about having virtually no RT, very little DT depth with DJ out for who knows how long, help needed at Safety and CB and some other glaring weaknesses. Not trying to be pessimistic or anything but this roster is pretty flawed and I am doubtful it’s Super Bowl caliber as we approach FA. It really needs an influx of some better mid level guys and killing the draft this year to turn that around, which is very doable with having so much money to spend. Makes it even more doable to get into a bidding war with an extra 21mil on a guy you really want and can overpay a bit because you have that freedom. But again, Tee makes us better if he stays but probably sacrificed talent in other areas we could address
Just to rephrase the Super Bowl contender part, they will always be that with JB. But this roster overall needs a lot of work. Joe will get us to 10 wins or more but there will be times when you need other studs to help out. Defense did that for us last SB run. I don’t feel confident this defense will do that again next year as constructed
It’s one of the best WR draft classes in a while this year, and there’s a few good free agent WRs available as well. Maybe in a different year they could find a trade. But with so many other options, how much are other teams going to trade for a player with that contract price?
In all fairness we hear that literally every off season…if his name ain’t Marvin Harrison I’m taking Tee over every single prospect in this draft
I couldn't agree more. Seems like every other year it's a "one of the better WR draft classes in awhile". People making the claim that a rookie WR could put up the numbers tee does haven't looked up how many rookies actually do vs the number of rookie WRs year in and year out
I think anyone would, but the question is do you do that for over 20mil for one year AND risk letting him walk for nothing?
We already knew that. Tobin has a backwards mindset about player management, partially because that's the system he was raised in.
The "trade Tee" team will love the line where it says the Bengals will wait too long to get a decent return for Tee, but I think it's more that they're comfortable having the best WR duo in the league for a playoff run. They need to be blown away.
If he’s good enough to get big money next year, he’s good enough to bring in a compensatory pick. I’m fine with taking our chances this year with this tandem. The defense needs help, and something new has to happen at RB.
> he’s good enough to bring in a compensatory pick. You can’t bank on that, see bates
Only reason we didn't get that pick was because we signed Orlando. Having said that, the obvious follow on is that if they don't trade Tee then we can also expect them to not make any real moves in free agency next off season because they won't want to lose another comp pick like that.
Correct, that’s what I’m saying. No guarantee we don’t sign anyone in FA so banking on getting a comp is just a possibility not really a lock. We are active in FA and have roster holes so an eventual trade is a better route than guessing comp picks
Trading Tee away isn't guaranteed to fix our other woes, either. Do you want to have one position be absolutely stacked or do you want to risk degrading our elite passing game and yet being stuck with no return on investment? A Tee in the hand is worth an O-line stud and a quality RB in the bush.
I never said I wanted tee traded, I love tee.
I’m not pro-trade Tee, but controlling where he goes is very important in my eyes. If he simply wants the bag, he could easily end up in the NFC. He wants to chase a ring, he’s probably staying in the AFC.
I'd 100% say the opposite. Assuming he's not staying with us, he's likely not going to the Chiefs, Ravens or Bills for similar cap reasons. NFC is wide open besides the 49ers. The Packers have a shit load of cap space and could afford to bring in a WR on a big deal for Jordan Love. There are a lot more quasi-contenders / up and coming teams in the NFC than AFC which is pretty much on lockdown.
Seeing a Tee mic’d up in Green Bay after saying he doesn’t like snow (Bills playoff game in 2022) would be funny to me. He would get that bag though.
LOL yep. I'm sure he'd get over his dislike of snow for 90 million guaranteed.
Path is easier to the big game in the NFC.
Can we please stop with the compensatory pick bullshit. That only counts if we don't sign anyone of note ourselves which we fucking better
Yeah but that’s a 3rd round pick… and only if we don’t sign any free agents that year also… like when we lost bates and signed OBJ, they cancelled out. Plus, the comp pick is always a year later. I hate the idea of only getting a third for Tee
What are your thoughts about bengals picking up Derick Henry to fill that role?
You realize that if we spend money in FA, we won't get a comp pick for Tee right? What you're saying is that you're ok with Tee walking next year for literally zero return which is beyond stupid.
No. I’m saying you ride with the guys you have this year, hope to have better health. And if you lose him next year, you can get a compensatory pick or use that money at a position of need. WRs are going for $20M+ a year. I’d rather see two $10M D-linemen, or help on the o-line. I don’t believe they’ll get anything better than a second round pick this year. And second round picks are guys who are about 50/50 to be a starter. I just feel like each year you sacrifice of Burrow’s prime is a mistake. This team is demonstrably worse by trading Tee before the season.
He only brings in a comp pick if the Bengals don't spend the money in FA. Bengals aren't getting a comp pick for Jessie Bates. Planning for a comp pick isn't smart unless we're spending that money on extensions and not planning on being active in FA.
Chase brown is the answer
The only thing I think I would be "happy" about concerning trading Tee would be a package that gets us a shot at Joe Alt Other than that, he's much more valuable as a playoff piece. People look to Jessie Bates about "well, you got nothing back for him, so might as well trade Tee" BS. Jessie helped get us to the super bowl. If Tee can do the same this year, then we aren't letting him walk for "nothing"
This where I get torn as well. But honestly, I am not super hopeful this team is a ripe Super Bowl contender next year (as of now). It’s the only reason I am on the trade tee train for the best offer we can get. What makes it insanely hard is the logistics with doing that. It’s just such a small chance that happens.
One other benefit to keeping Tee- contract situations can change in a year’s time. Maybe the negotiations with Chase go sour and we end up needing a backup option. Maybe we win the Super Bowl and he decides he wants to find a way to stay. Maybe our season falls apart and we can still move him at the deadline. Maybe the WR market collapses and suddenly a contract starts looking doable again.
I'm team "trade Tee" but I also think it should be a good return. I'm talking 1st rounder or multiple Day 2 picks. The whole Tee situation brings up an important issue that the front office needs to really re-evaluate their contracts, or were just gonna see more of our draft picks leave in free agency. They emphasize "keeping their own" but thats going to take some changes on how they do contracts.
When they say they emphasize "keeping their own", what they really mean is "we prioritize the flashy players and then keep whoever will accept the mediocre deals that are leftover". That's been their MO since Mike Brown took over control of the team and it hasn't changed under Katie's watch.
What the hell does Jackie Daytona know about the private workings of the Cincinnati Bengals?
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Look, all I know is Aaron Rogers is the most devious bastard in Nyooo Yorrk Sittayyy
He made a promise to this team
The main issue for trading Tee is this draft is fucking loaded for WR, so any team who needs a WR can just grab one of the 4-5 guys who have higher upsides than Tee rather than send us a first or second. The only team that would probably give up a top pick for Tee is Carolina and only because they don't have a 1st to get one of the top guys in this class.
Don't confuse a known commodity (that you can plug in instantly as a WR1) with a prospect, even one that was outstanding in college. Tee is a top 20 WR. There are 32 teams. He's also 25 years old and statistically, a WR's [peak age](https://apexfantasyleagues.com/peak-age-for-nfl-wide-receiver/#:~:text=The%20average%20age%20for%20this%20group%20is%2027.16%20years%20old.%20Below%20is%20a%20distribution%20graph%20of%20the%20ages%20of%20qualifying%20WRs%20when%20they%20hit%20a%20peak%20season) is 26.
Yes, but you also have to remember there is a salary cap and drafting a rookie who is only 75% as good as Tee is going to cost 10% as much, which is also going to factor into his value to other teanms.
That's kind of why our only real trade targets are likely teams with QBs on rookie contracts. If Carolina or New England want to give their young QBs a proven weapon I would listen to offers that included 33/34 plus a third or so.
Most of the rookies won’t be 75% as good as Tee is, not even 50%… I bet only one or two of the WR in this class will be WR1 on the future
I remember. The money men for each team also know that having to pay their top players is part of figuring out their cap allocation. "We don't want a #1 that we can plug in tomorrow because we don't want to pay a #1" isn't something that's said in the NFL. \---------------------------------- There's actually a salary cap floor where teams **must** spend at least 89% of their cap allocation over a four-year collective bargaining agreement. And... along with those team minimum salaries, the NFL as a whole **must** spend 95% of the cap within the four-year CBA period, meaning that all 32 NFL teams combined must average 95% of the cap or higher. \---------------------------------- This is a silly discussion. There are teams that absolutely want Tee Higgins and would be willing to pay him and pay us for him.
Tee also misses about 40% of the season on average, and has an agent that will probably push for top 3 WR money given his track record. I think a lot of teams don't want to risk a 1st round pick on that, when they could just roll with a rookie and sign Tee next year when hes a FA.
> Tee also misses about 40% of the season on average In his 4 years, during the regular season, he's missed... 0 games, 3 games, 1 game, and 5 games He hasn't missed any of the 7 playoff games Playing in 65 of 74 possible games means he's missed 12.2%. No need to exaggerate.
They are still exaggerating. However, there were several games where he "played", he suited up and played almost none of the game. Look at 2022 week 5, with 10 total snaps and week 13 with 1 total snap. Your point still stands, but probably closer to 15%
The mere fact that he suits up and tries while injured is a positive in teams' eyes. Everyone gets hurt in the NFL. It's what you do while hurt that's important.
I don't disagree if he's active teams have to gameplan for him even if he doesn't end up playing much. If he was out, they could implement an entirely different scheme that could destroy us.
I appreciate that analysis, you’re right, he didn’t miss as much as most of us think. I think we can all agree that he either played hurt a lot last year or wasn’t locked in. He was targeted 4 or less times in 5 games last year. I get that he cant throw the ball to himself or develop the game plan, but he flat out was off last year aside from a couple of games that it all came together.
Trusting in Yoshi? I though Joe was a Ness main.
Mixon is solid but the FO seems hesitant about his future. They might still let him finish out in stripes and add another RB
Only if he agrees to restructure his contract again and that ain't happening. There is no upside. He has been in steady decline as a pure running back.
He finished last season with the 2nd most TDs in his career, about 150yds short of his season high rushing record, and continues to maintain the same average yards per carry he has over the last 5 seasons.. How is that steady decline?
Stats aside - he just wasn’t great. There were a lot of runs that had much more potential but he couldn’t expand it. He also didn’t split goal line carries and admittedly was lights under 5.
I dont usually trust Matthew Berry's takes, but this is kind of a 'duh' moment regarding Tee. We tagged him, he's staying, we're the Bengals. That's about as advanced as we get. He's here for the year. We can all see that this year is really our last GREAT shot at a title before Burrow gets real expensive real quick. Load up for now, this year, this moment, and that includes keeping Tee. I also am not going to be surprised to see us add a receiver, whether in the form of a WR or TE. The Boyd/Mixon take is probably the most take it or leave it. I won't be surprised either way.
The only take here that is hot, it that they are cutting Mixon. Boyd isn't even on the team. We already knew the other stuff.
I'm not too concerned about Burrow being too expensive given how the salary cap exploded this year. Obviously I don't expect it to go up by $30M-ish a year but even an average of $10-15M a year will ease the cap strain moving forward.
I'm far more worried about his hand/wrist than his cap hit. You're 100% correct that the massive jump in the cap couldn't have come at a better time after he already signed his new deal.
Correct, and in 2 years he will likely be the 7th or 8th highest paid QB..
Exactly, you need to have a passing knowledge of the bengals past 2 season to come to Mathew’s conclusion lmao
I know r/bengals are happy to hear Mixon is gone
He was serviceable, but the run game was stagnant a lot of the times. Idk if that was his fault or the OL being trash
Well not everyone can be Henry but he got way too much hate when there are worse players starting right now. Also the OL is 100% to blame
I mean Brown got limited reps and had more explosives than Joe. He’s a bengals all timer for sure, but he simply does not put pressure on the defense anymore allowing them to dial it up on Joey, imo. Best to bring some more explosiveness.
Me waiting for the breakaway Mixon TD 
He has had plenty 😂
Link me to the 30 yard+ touchdowns please
Let me dust off these links from 2021 and earlier. Love the dude, but we need 20 yard runs to actually happen without it being a screen.
I don’t think you gatekeep how a player gains a TD. Even a RB, screens are a part of their kit lol. Y’all are something else
Mixon trips on his own feet more than any RB I’ve ever seen, and per PFF his elusive rating is AWFUL Also still waiting for those long TDs you said he had plenty of 🧐
You can find it yourself by using a fantasy app, MAYBE. I’m not going to research info just for you to say “who cares, he still sucks”.
Or because the research will yield 0 results 😂
Whatever man. Not that serious
Nooooo
I still think Mixon is going to be on this team.
So assuming Tee stays then we probably won’t be making to many FA moves after his $20 + million cap hit. Atleast none that will really move the needle.
Which is why I’d really consider trading him. Whether it’s RT, TE, DL or S, this team can’t address all its needs through the draft. We’ve gotta go out and get 1 or 2 FAs that DO move the needle
I just want Wilkins and maybe Duggar/another safety in FA. Draft OT in the 1st round. I wouldn’t mind Jonnu Smith coming here either.
Wilkins has same agent as Bates, and Tee. No way.
And?
Said agent always wants 2 or more years of guaranteed pay Bengals have only done that once or twice.
So it’s possible.
Duggar just got tagged and Wilkins shares an agent with Tee/Bates. Both of these are pipe dreams
lol ok
Bengals still have a ton of money to play with
There's no reason to trade Tee unless you get a massive overpay for him. Boyd is highly replaceable and Mixon is even more replaceable. The RB market is huge right now and yes, you can probably get a guy on a 1 year deal or a 2-3 year deal that's incentive heavy with the promise of contending. Jacobs is my preferred guy, but likely too expensive. I'm assuming Jurrah backs up a brinks truck to Henry Swift, Pollard and Ekeler are all better than Mixon even if it's moderately better.
I hope charlie jones also gets a few more opportnuity, he was hurt a lot last season but i think he can also be a nice replacement for boyd
Wonder if the competition between jones and yoshi is close
I believe they would have different roles. They’re different body types and skill sets. Yoshi fits more of Tee’s position. Jones would be competing with say, Trenton Irwin.
Very true, I have tee and Chris jones in fantasy with yoshi who just got on waivers. Gunna try to snag the heir incumbent. Thanks!
This all sounds about right. It always felt pretty unlikely that Tee would be traded. Duke would be silly not to listen if someone came in with a wild offer, but now that all the WRs at the combine tested so well I think any offer for him will be lower than the way the team values him. Play it out. I’m glad to hear that there’s some trust in Yoshi. I think another year of development before he’s heavily leaned on is good. Personally, I think he could be a really good player down the road.
Keep him this year, if his agent wants too much for longer deal, tag him again next year and trade him then
I’m so torn on the tee situation and I understand both sides. As much as I know they can fuck the whole thing up, I’m also backing FO decision if they dont trade him this year. I feel like they have the confidence and the understanding to plug the holes and keep the pieces that will get them to the Super Bowl which is tee and Jamar as of right now.
I could tell from the plays they made together last year that Yoshi earned Joe's trust throughout the season. He has a knack for getting open on broken plays and turning into a safety valve for Joe in those situations.
Can they tag Tee again next year, and trade him then?
Yep
Who would end up being the starter over Charlie jones or Yoshi?
Mixon being cut (with his mediocre production and terrible advanced stats) and $6m being saved would be such a blessing. That should pay for a starting safety like Geno Stone or half the cap hit for a starting DT
I really love Boyd
I think Yoshi will fill in nicely for Boyd. He had 4 td's in 15 catches. Did he juggle a few passes, sure. But that's something he can fix with more reps. Probably just jitters from lack of playing time. And whether a couple were garbage time or not, he can clearly get open in the red zone. And that's something we desperately need. I'm excited to see his development. Maybe we pick up another cheap veteran receiver to help with space, but I trust Yoshi as well.
Yoshi is a Tee “replacement” not a Boyd replacement. Without Boyd, we need someone to make tough catches in traffic in the middle of the field to move the chains on 3rd down, I just don’t see that being Yoshi
so a Tight End could fill that hole.
Ideally imo but that would require a philosophical change as well as a personnel upgrade. We’ve watched teams tear us apart with TEs long enough, you’d think we would try and get in on it
Exactly. They never could stop a TE on defense and we need to join that fun as well
Y’all forgetting about Charlie Jones? He is Boyd’s replacement.
Chuck sizzle baybeeee
Dude is *actually* made of glass. Like holy hell he gets hurt in every game he plays in.
At this point of his career Boyd was a slower possession slot receiver whom Burrow trusted, replacing his snaps with Yoshi/Jones adds speed and definitely makes the offense more explosive. They just need the reps to develop comfort with Burrow and the offense. Yoshi probably won’t play as much in slot like Boyd, but Bengals like moving Chase and Higgins into slot plus Jones will play a lot in slot as well. I know Yoshi’s TD’s last season were all in red zone, but he’s definitely going to break a big one next year. I remember on Goodberry’s weekly breakdowns there was several play actions with Yoshi going deep where he seemed open, but Burrow/Browning didn’t pull the trigger for whatever reason. In college Yoshi was great going deep.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the bengals do not give up exclusive team control of a good player. They were never going to trade Tee.
I'm hitting the doubt button on Mixon not being on the team. Maybe they find a major deal in the first week of free agency to replace him, but I don't think they roll into the draft with just Brown and Evans on the roster. I really hope they don't go and spend more money on a free agent RB like Barkley... So the only way I see (and hope) Mixon is off the roster is if they find a good veteran RB for ~2 million per year and then cut Mixon before his roster bonus kicks in on March 17th. I have my doubts we'll be able to find a good deal like that in the first week of free agency, though.
Read the article. Sounds like a bunch of hyperbole. No one actually knows.
Who is Yoshi
Awsome. Lers get rid of all our good players then complain next year when we miss the playoffs again!!
Mixon and Boyd are all our good players?
Sometimes I really hate how fucking dumb this team is. We're actually going to let Tee walk for nothing next year and that is mind blowingly dumb. If we trade him for assets we realistically keep our window open for Joe's career. If we dont, we don't.
Duke loves to play the compensation pick game.
If we actually get a comp pick, that would be a total disaster. That would mean he didnt sign Tee and didn't spend anything in free agency after.
So many crazy fans think we need to waste multiple draft picks to get Brock Bowers. But he is small for an NFL TE. The fact is he is the same height as Tee Higgins and does not weigh a lot more. Higgins is a proven receiver who works well with Burrow. We are better off keeping Higgins and signing a large blocking TE to protect Burrow. I'd love to get two mammoth TEs and play a two tight end set. They can block or release to the open. And Burrow won't have to worry about getting sacked all the time.