Tee Higgins says he wants this Bengals team to stay together 'for a long time'

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins laughed off the photoshopped pictures of him in other teams' jerseys during an appearance on NFL Network.

Higgins, who is in Arizona ahead of Super Bowl 57, is entering the last year of his rookie contract. His former Clemson teammate, Jacksonville running back Travis Etienne Jr., shared an Instagram post of himself, Higgins and Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in college saying, "Ima just sit this here."

While Etienne may want a reunion, Higgins told reporters he hopes the current Bengals lineup stays together "for a long time."

"I plan on being in Cincinnati for a while, so I mean, we're gonna see what happens," Higgins said.

Rumors that Higgins could be traded took off after The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. wrote a story on what Cincinnati could do this offseason in terms of extensions, free agency signings and trades. Dehner never said a Higgins trade was likely, only saying that the Bengals could trade him like the Titans did A.J. Brown if it's clear the two sides won't "see eye to eye" on contract negotiations.

That was enough to inspire some fans to photoshop Higgins onto their teams.

Higgins responded at the time by tweeting, "Here y'all go😂"

The Bengals, though, will have to decide who to pay and who to let go at one point. Quarterback Joe Burrow is expected to get a huge extension, which will impact how much Cincinnati spends on its other players.

Higgins' fellow receiver Ja'Marr Chase told NFL Network Wednesday that Burrow "knows what he wants and how to set up his contract" to keep the Bengals' weapons on the team.

"At the end of the day, I don't think Joe's too worried about how much money he's gonna make because he's already making a tremendous amount, but it'll work out for us," Chase said.

That sound you just heard was a sigh of relief from Bengals fans everywhere.