They are two of 21 players whose contracts are expiring and will be heading into free agency in 2025, including other starters like defensive tackle B.J. Hill and cornerback Mike Hilton. The Bengals are beginning those personnel decisions now, according to Taylor, but they also will be working to get a contract extension done for receiving triple-crown winner Ja’Marr Chase.
Taylor wouldn’t go as far as to say he would lobby for deals to get done with Chase and Higgins, the two biggest contract decisions to follow this offseason, but it’s something he plans to discuss with the front office.
“We are a lock step in how we communicate every week of the season, every week of the offseason, and so those are conversations we’ll have,” Taylor said. “We’ve got a lot of great players, and Tee is one of them, certainly, and I’m very hopeful that that’ll work out to where we are able to get him back. But there’s certainly a process we’re going to have to undergo with a lot of players on our team, and I can promise you, we’ll be in unison with whatever those decisions are, and that’s a process we’ll start now, you know, through the month of January and February, and talking through every player on a roster and how it all fits.”
Asked specifically if the organization expects to get a long-term deal done with Chase, Taylor said “that’s certainly our hope.” Chase, who otherwise will be expected to play on a fifth-year option, had wanted his extension done before the 2024 season and “held in” during training camp, electing to only watch practices, while negotiations stalled.
Higgins had been unable to reach a long-term agreement with the Bengals previously, but Burrow seemed to be applying some pressure on the front office in several of his press conferences over the last month to try to get a deal done for the team’s No. 2 receiver.
Gesicki had come to Cincinnati on a one-year deal last March and proved an effective enough target for Burrow that the quarterback shared in his final post-game press conference of the season that he thinks the Bengals need to bring Gesicki back.
Gesicki has been a less talked about part of the offense, but he was third in receptions and receiving yards with 65 catches for 665 yards — his best season since 2021.
“I think he had great for us,” Burrow said in his final postgame press conference Saturday after Gesicki had eight catches for 68 yards. “That’s something that we haven’t really had since I’ve been here is a guy that when everybody is so focused on all of our receivers, doubling them, clouding them, having specific plans, now you’ve got to worry about that guy matched up on a safety or linebacker, and that guy was so valuable for us all year and a guy that in my opinion we need to bring back.”
Cincinnati could see major turnover on defense, following the firing of coordinator Lou Anarumo and two of his assistants after a tumultuous year on that side of the ball, but Hilton is arguably the biggest leader on defense that could be gone in 2025.
Hilton, who completed his eighth NFL season, had one of his best years, according to Pro Football Focus grades, but will be looking for his third contract while approaching the age of 31.
“I’ve thought about it,” Hilton said ahead of the finale when asked if he had considered that could be his last game for the Bengals. “Obviously, I’ve been around this league for a long time and I know the nature of the business, so I don’t know. … I’m still showing I’m one of the top guys in my position. I bring a lot of value to this team, so whatever happens in the offseason happens.”
“I’ve been here a long time and really watched this place change a lot,” he added. “Obviously, I would love to finish my career here, but the nature of the business is you never know. So, when that time comes, we’ll figure it out.”
Cincinnati’s defensive line and secondary have been areas of focus for the last few drafts, but now even some of the veterans proved not so reliable and there could be decisions to make regarding the status of returning players. Along with some of the recent draft picks not panning out, defensive end Sam Hubbard saw a big drop in performance while battling numerous injuries, and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, signed to replace D.J. Reader, ended up playing just seven games.
“I think those are the things we’ll start addressing immediately, and, again, we’ll just get through this (first day of the offseason) and we move into the personnel aspect of things and what it looks like,” Taylor said. “Again, a lot of that is ‘let’s hire a football coach over there’ and so that way, we can do it the right way where we’re evaluating the personnel with Duke (Tobin) and his staff and find the right fits for how we want to move forward.”
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