Tee Higgins is preparing the Cincinnati Bengals for a very, very difficult offseason. Already a fan favorite and one of the best wide receivers in the NFL when healthy, Higgins was the difference for Cincinnati in a must-win game against the Cincinnati Bengals Denver Broncos on Saturday, catching 11 passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns. It was the last of those touchdowns, coming with just over a minute left in overtime, that secured the playoffs for the Bengals. Their hopes are alive in their thrilling victory in the final game of the year at Paycor Stadium. With just one week left in the 2024 season, Higgins has set a career high in touchdown receptions (10) and is on pace to set a new career mark in receiving yards per game (currently at 78.0 ). And he did it all as an impending free agent, playing the 2024 season under the franchise tag. However, it’s unclear what the future holds Higgins, a second-round draft pick by the Bengals in 2020, is getting louder every week from both fans and the current Bengals for him to stay in the Queen City. After Cincinnati’s Monday night win at Dallas earlier this month, both Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase were vocal about their desire to keep the No. 5 in stripes. “I’m confident we’ll be able to do whatever it takes to get Tee back,” Burrow said after the game. “I know I will do whatever it takes to get him back and so will he. We’ve had those conversations.” “I wish I could sign Tee myself and have him with me forever, but some things don’t work like that,” added Chase, who also has questions about his future in Cincinnati. After Saturday’s dramatic win, another voice joined the chorus: former Cincinnati Bearcat and current New York Jet Ahmad “Sauce.” Gardner: ‘PAY THE MAN’ Gardner commented on Higgins’ post on Instagram with the caption: “Make me a coach.” Someone responded to Gardner’s comment and said he should try to convince Higgins to sign with the Jets. “I’m NOT going to tell him that,” replied Gardner, who was All-Pro in each of his first two years in the NFL. While the Bengals’ late playoff push has provided plenty of intrigue, what the offseason has in store for Cincinnati will shape the franchise for years to come.