Joe Burrow shows support for Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson amid trade requests.
Things get tricky when teams try to keep a close-knit group of players, all of whom deserve to be paid at a high level together.
The Cincinnati Bengals are facing that situation right now with Trey Hendrickson and Tee Higgins both looking for a new deal, watching the team make their quarterback the highest-paid player in the NFL the offseason prior.
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Burrow’s $275 million extension made him the highest-paid player in the NFL, and while he deserves that deal, things like that take up cap and paying Higgins and Hendrickson comes a more difficult situation.
Both Higgins and Hendrickson requested a trade this offseason.
While the former was franchise tagged and the latter hasn’t seen much progress in those talks, Burrow understands that business is business, and he knows his guys have to do what’s best for them. Better yet, he supports them in that.
“Those guys have their business they need to take care of. I support them in every way. Both those guys have earned everything that has come to them and more. I’ll support them all the way through it,” said Burrow at a recent press conference.
“Whatever they feel like is best for their career. That’s for them and their agents and their families to decide. But we are here to win football games. I really hope both of those guys are here next year, because we are a better football team with both of them. They are both great locker room guys, too. They are going to do what they’ve got to do, but when the time comes for them to come back, if that time comes, we are going to welcome them back and hit our stride.”
It seems unlikely the Bengals and Higgins will reach a long-term deal, and the team doesn’t seem very prepared to retain Hendrickson for the amount and length of deal he’d like. Nonetheless, there’s still hope that both could be Bengals for the long-term future.
