The Cincinnati Bengals are working on finalizing a new contract for Tee Higgins this weekend. Ideally, the end result is the same as the one Mike Gesicki just experienced.
Gesicki is locked in with the Bengals thanks to a three-year, $25.5 million extension he agreed to Saturday before he was scheduled to hit free agency for the third consecutive year.
The money is very nice, but Gesicki's rhetorical question to Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson says it all.
"With Zac and Joe, why go anywhere else?"
Gesicki chose to re-sign with the Bengals to stay in the same offense that head coach Zac Taylor constructs and quarterback Joe Burrow leads on the field. Despite competing with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for targets, Gesicki had his best season since his first contract year back in 2021. His 65 receptions, 665 yards, and 1.58 yards per route run from 2024 are all the second-best marks of his career behind that year.
Not only did he want to come back, he knew he was wanted back by his quarterback. Burrow made sure to mention Gesicki as someone the team needed to retain this offseason, a fact not lost on the 29-year old pass catcher.
"I'll be forever indebted to Joe Burrow and what he's done for my career and how he's talked about me," Gesicki said. "I've said from day one. He's one of one and that's a big reason I wanted to come back to Cincinnati."
Gesicki set out to raise his value back to where he always believed it should've been years ago. He accomplished that while getting to stay in the offense responsible for his pay raise.
That's the same outcome the Bengals plan on materializing with Higgins.
Higgins won't have the option to hit free agency like Gesicki could've, but Cincinnati is making its final push to ensure the 26-year old wideout sticks around at least as long as Gesicki is now under contract for. The selling points for him taking the front office's offer are strikingly similar.
Stay with Burrow above all else.
If a deal comes together in the very near future, you can bet Higgins will echo Gesicki's words with a two-year contract saga behind him.
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