Joe Burrow doubles down on message to Bengals on Tee Higgins' impending $21,800,000 future in Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Bengals kept their playoff hopes alive with a hard-fought 19-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday. Now they need the Kansas City Chiefs to beat the Denver Broncos on the road Sunday and the New York Jets to upstage the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium.

Ja'Marr Chase was once again the star of the show for the Bengals as he caught 10 receptions for 96 yards and scored his team's only touchdown. Chase had the support Tee Higginswho capped a terrific season with four catches and 53 receiving yards in the biggest game of his team's campaign.

If things don't work out for the Bengals in the Broncos and Dolphins games on Sunday, that would be the last time the 25-year-old plays in Cincinnati. Tee Higgins played for the franchise tag this season, which paid him $21.8 million. However, he is looking for a long-term deal and the Bengals have shown little interest in handing him a new contract.

The receiver apparently has one foot out the door, but Burrow isn't ready to say goodbye to him just yet. In the postgame press conference, the quarterback pleaded with Cincinnati's front office to offer Higgins an extension and retain his services:

“(Me and Higgins) started this whole thing together. We went into (the 2020 NFL draft) together and built this thing from the ground up. You don't want to get into the habit of letting great players walk out of the building .

“Like I said earlier in the week, Tee is a great player. A guy who does everything the right way and works really hard for it. When you have a guy like that, you can't let him out of the building.”

Tee Higgins discusses his future after the Bengals beat the Steelers

Joe Burrow wasn't the only Bengals player to talk about Tee Higgins' future after the win in Pittsburgh. Higgins also spoke to reporters after the game:

It's a bit of shit, but I'll let God take the wheel, whatever my future holds, so be it. Hopefully, I can be here, but if not, I wish all my guys the best.

“I wouldn't mind being here at all. I know the city inside and out, I know the facilities inside and out, coaches, I have a great relationship with the front office and the coaches.”

The Bengals' playoff hopes remain alive after their win, but they need the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets to help them in the postseason. It will be interesting to see if Cincinnati can do that and what the future holds for Tee Higgins.