It is sure to be an offseason of uncertainty, but Cincinnati Bengals fans can take solace knowing one thing.

Staying in Cincinnati with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase is Tee Higgins’ top option.

“It means a lot,” Higgins told Bleacher Report when discussing both the quarterback and his fellow wide receiver saying they want him to return even though he is set for free agency this offseason.

“Them telling me that they want me to come back, man, it’s family. We’ve been playing together for three or four years now, and I personally would love to be back playing with those guys. It’s not in my hands now, but when the time comes and Cincinnati is there, that’s the number one option right now.”

The wide receiver position is the biggest storyline of the Bengals’ offseason, as Tyler Boyd is also set for free agency alongside Higgins. As if that wasn’t enough, Chase is eligible for a contract extension even though he would be under team control through 2025 assuming Cincinnati exercises his fifth-year option.

Burrow told reporters after the season “we’d love to have Tee back,” while Chase told reporters he too wants Higgins to remain in Cincinnati.

Yet Chase also has his own contract situation to worry about.

“Who knows how that will unfold at the end of the day,” the LSU product told Bleacher Report when discussing his potential extension. “We have to worry about Tee this year too, make sure bro gets his money. And on the other hand, I gotta wait for other receivers like CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson to get paid, too.”

Chase waiting for Jefferson or Lamb to reset the market could lead to some potentially difficult financial realities for Cincinnati. After all, Burrow already signed a five-year, $275 million deal in September, and giving long-term contracts to the team’s top two wideouts on top of that would be quite the commitment to one or two positions.

That doesn’t mean it’s an either or situation for the Bengals.

They could apply the franchise tag to Higgins, which would be costly in the short-term but provide more time to make a decision all while the team was still competitive with two star receivers in 2024.

Or they could see such a dynamic pairing as worth the financial commitment and reward both with long-term deals.

Chase and Higgins are still teammates for now, which made them the ideal candidates to partner with Bounty for the company’s ultimate NFL wingmen campaign.

Bounty believes fans can’t watch football without wings and can’t eat wings without having Bounty to clean up as the perfect one-two punch. As part of that campaign, any fans who spend $10 or more on Bounty paper towel products through the Super Bowl can receive $4.00 cash back via Ibotta.

“I’m excited to team up with Bounty,” Higgins said. “They’re giving us a great opportunity to do things that we haven’t done before. He’s my wingman, he always has my back, and Bounty always has our back whenever we have messes when we’re eating wings and watching football.”

Chase added that they are the “best wingmen in the game right now. We pick up any sticky situation that they need us for. If you need some wings cleaned up, that’s what Bounty’s for.”

Bounty will also be in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl Radio Row and serve more than 4,000 wings.

The Bengals will not be joining Bounty at the Super Bowl after finishing 9-8, but the star wide receivers will still be tuning into the playoffs.

They both will be keeping an eye on the A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith since they believe the Philadelphia Eagles’ duo is the best one-two punch in the league besides themselves. But Higgins will also be tuning in to watch the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs face the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card Round.

“Definitely looking forward to that one because Kansas City just beat us and Miami has all that firepower on the offensive side of the ball,” he said. “It’ll be an exciting game to watch.”

Yet it will be difficult for the Bengals and their fans to watch that game without feeling like they should be there as well.

After all, they reached the Super Bowl during the 2021 campaign and the AFC Championship Game last season and were once again expected to be on the short list of title contenders with a star franchise quarterback in Burrow and some of the best skill-position players in the league.

However, Burrow appeared in just 10 games before he was ruled out for the season with a wrist injury. There were inconsistencies even before that, as Cincinnati started 1-3, built some momentum with a four-game winning streak and then lost it with a three-game losing streak.

It looked like Jake Browning was going to do enough in relief of Burrow to get the team to the playoffs with three straight wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Viking to improve to 8-6, but the magic ran out as the Bengals were eliminated with two straight losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chiefs.

It wasn’t just Burrow who dealt with injuries, as hamstring setbacks limited Higgins to just 12 games.

“The injury messed me up, man,” Higgins said after he saw his streak of 1,000-yard campaigns come to an end. “I’ve just got to stay healthy. Try to stay healthy the whole season. That’s the biggest thing, especially in this league when your team needs you the most.”

While Higgins will focus on getting healthy throughout the offseason, Chase will look to expand his role in the offense even more after a third straight Pro Bowl effort.

“Getting the offense down pat even more,” he said when discussing his offseason goals. “Just getting more into the offense. Getting used more in the slot. I feel like that will be my biggest thing to focus on this offseason, still looking at the playbook when I’m working out.”

An even more versatile Chase would be a welcome sign for the Bengals considering he was a bright spot in 2023 with 100 catches for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns. He tallied 100 catches for the first time in his career and became the third Bengal in franchise history to reach the mark in the process, joining T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Carl Pickens.