March 17, 2025 • 11 mins
Kelsey Conway of Cincinnati.com joined us to discuss the contract extensions for Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase, as well as what's ahead for negotiations with Trey Hendrickson.
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Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Tragic tensions. Kelsey Conway covers the Bengals for The Inquirer
and Cincinnati dot Com has covered this story for the years.
It has been dragging on and we have a resolution. Hi, Kelsey,
how you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Hi?
Speaker 3 (00:17):
I am so happy to be on and talking about
the Bengals finally getting a deal done with see Higgins.
Then he just mentioned this has been a three years
saga that has consumed a lot.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Of my time.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Yeah, no question about it. So now that we are
at the end, what is your biggest takeaway?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
My biggest takeaway is that if C. Higgins didn't switch
his agent, this probably wouldn't have happened. Because from going
back to two years ago, and you know, we talked
about this on your show a bunch, just a difference
between the Bengals sentiment T Higgins and you know right now.
(01:03):
I know Duke Coven's been asked that a number of
times and they said, you know, we've always we've always
wanted T. Higgins. You can call it what it is.
Two years ago, they didn't even offer him twenty million dollars.
I reported that their first offer at him didn't eclipse that.
And here we are two years later, where he's getting
(01:23):
twenty eight point five million per year up to thirty
with incentives like there is. There was a big change
there from the organization in terms of how they viewed
t Higgins, and a lot of it has to do
with Rocky Arseno, their agent, And I'm not sure had
Tea not switched to Rocky that this would have gotten
(01:45):
done because Jamar Chase played a huge role in this
getting done for T Higgins. So I think that's my
biggest takeaway, just how much things have changed in regards
to how the Bengals value T Higgins from two years
ago to now.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Do they deserve credit for getting this done? Meaning the
Bengals credit for getting this done or criticism for the
way in which it unfolded.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
You know, that's interesting. I haven't been asked that question,
and I think it's twofold. I do think that I
said last night on It's Been Radio that Bengals fin
should obviously be happy that this happened, because it does,
in a way show a change. The way that they
structured these contracts is not something that they do. So
(02:33):
I think they definitely deserve credit for getting these two
deals done. But at the same time, they could have
had this deal done with Higgins T Higgins at a
way lower rate. You know, T Higgins would have taken
a deal within the twenty three to twenty five million
range two years ago, and then you would have almost
been coming up on the end of his contract. There's
(02:55):
some criticism deserves there, So I'm kind of on the
fence of it. So that obviously deserves credit. But they
cost themselves a lot of money, and I know people
don't really want to look at that because you want
to celebrate the positive and that if those fields got
done them not getting them having to wait and pay
(03:15):
more one percent is going to take away from someone
else or another position group. And we will see next
season how much of that they cost themselves, because if
they have this amazing offense and they make the playoffs
and they make a deep run, it'll be worth it.
But if they're dealing with some of the same issues,
(03:35):
then then you're going to look at it and say,
I wish we would have had some of that money
to address those other positions. So, you know, I go
both ways.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
On it, honestly, Yeah, I think there's room for multiple truths.
This is great that this got done right, I mean
the identity this team is set in stone for basically
the rest of the decade. They've got a core of
really good players intact that have had team and individual success.
But I do think it's fair to wonder what would
(04:04):
the roster look like, what would the salary cab situation
look like, and how many headaches could have been avoided
had this gotten done a while ago. And we're never
going to know the answer to that, but I think
that's fair to bring up what is your best guess
as to what's next with Trey Hendrickson?
Speaker 2 (04:22):
To that that was a tricky one, And I know
that there's a lot out there right now, and I
would just say this, I think Bengals fans should temper
their expectations on Trey Hendrickson because there's still a lot
of work to be done. And yes, there have been
some conversations of late, but there's still there's still some
(04:45):
work to be done there. So it's not just a
matter of oh, the Bengals got these done, Tray is
just gonna fall into place and want to come back.
They were very far apart from the first offer of
the angles made to to right now. While there's been progress,
there is still and this is something that I don't
(05:06):
think people are talking about as much with Trey Hendrickson
that I find interesting. When you allowed him to go
out and seek the trade, and I know you've talked
about how you know you thought that was really smart
played by the Bengals. It also allowed Trey and his
agent to see what the market was going to be
for him. They thought they knew what it was going
to be, but it confirmed things that they didn't know
(05:31):
because they were able to talk to teams. And that's
where that could potentially hurt the Bengals, because if Trey
and his representation talked to seven or eight different teams
and they all said, hey, we be willing to pay
you x amount, and it's that far off from the Bengals,
I have a hard time believing he's going to be
willing to come back at the number that the Bengals
(05:55):
started with. I think that it is definitely gonna have
to be given take on both sides, but it has
to be a respectable number, and to be honest, I
think it's going to be higher now because they did
allow him to go out and see what he could deserve,
and that's where I think it's going to get interesting
because he's definitely probably going to have to take somewhat
of a discount because of the situation he's in. He's
(06:18):
under contract, but I think they were able to learn
more about his market and I think that doesn't work
in the bengals favor. But the whole thing goes back
to the Bengals for right now haven't been interested in
conversations that don't involve a first round pick for as
far as trade, and I'll be interested to see over
(06:38):
these next couple of weeks what happens, because in my opinion,
if they do not deal Tray by the GIRAFT, then
things could get dicey because you lose out on potential
value you could get in return. And he becomes angry
because he at that point feels like they can't find
(06:59):
an ant here and now it almost feels like I'm
being held hostage type of situation. So I would keep
your eye on these next couple of weeks with Trey
because I think the Bengals are gonna have to make
a decision and it's either going to be we can
close the gap and get closer or yeah, we weren't
really happy with thinking about anything other than a first
round pick. But maybe it really is in our best
(07:21):
interest by the draft to get this done because if
they allow other teams to fill that need through the draft,
they could potentially lose out on anything that they could get. Well.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I mean, I guess the way a lot of us
look at it now is it's not like they've they've
addressed pass rushers so far here in free agency. And yeah,
they could take edge guys in the draft, and I
know Joseph Osiah's back and maybe Miles Murphy figures things out.
But I mean to me, the time that trade Trey
Hendrickson was last week, because if you did that, then
you were going to also address edge rusher. They didn't
(07:50):
do that, so then how do you trade them?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
But then this all goes back to the conversation I think,
and I know that had the Bengals initial offer then
at a number that what's closer to what he and
his representation believed that they could get on the open market,
I don't think we'd be in this situation. I think that,
(08:13):
and you know it's been something that I've talked about
with you before, like sometimes that's what happens with the
Bengals is their number. They view it as Okay, this
is our starting point and we'll negotiate from here. But
I think had he been a little bit closer to
what had the Bengals offer, been a little bit closer
to what he and his agent believed that they could
get on the open market, I think the deal would
(08:36):
have gotten done. I think it was just too far apart.
And now it's just awkward because it's like they allowed
you to go out and see what you're worth, and
then you've realized, oh wow, teams are gonna would be
willing to pay me even more than what I thought,
and now you have to come back and just awkwardly say, well,
I know X team would be willing to pay me
(08:57):
thirty four million per year, why should I have to
take you a significant amount less? And that's where I
think things are going to get really interesting here with Trey,
because it's not just as easy as well he just
needs to come back and just take the Bangles offer.
He learned his value, and that's where I think this
(09:18):
thing with Trey's got some time to get figured out,
and it'll be interesting to see what happens from it.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
All Right, I got like a minute here. This is
great that they have signed t Higgins, it's great that
the Jamar Chase thing has reached a good resolution. Beyond that,
free agency over the last week for the Bengals has
been very underwhelming. Why and what's next?
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I want to believe that it's because of the contracts
with Jamar and Tea, but they've known what those numbers,
for the most part, were going to look like for
a while now. It's honestly been really underwhelming. And I
can't quite get my finger on what's going on on
there because I did that interview with Duke Tobin at
(10:03):
the Senior Bowl and he admitted to me he regrets
maybe holding onto that core a year too long, that
he should have made some moves a year too long.
We're sitting here and Joseph Osai is talking about wanting
to run it back again, and there's players like Jermaine
Pratt still on the roster. So I can't quite figure
(10:23):
out what's going on because on one end, you know,
Duke Tobin says, I think I held on to some
of these guys too long, which was great. He was
honest and open about it. But the Bengals haven't made
any moves on the defensive side of the ball other
than signing TJ. Slayton to make you feel like they're
learning from their mistake and holding guys for too long.
(10:44):
So I cannot put my finger on what's going on there.
And it's easy to say, well, they just needed these
deals to get done, but in my opinion, they have
known what those deals are going to look like for
a long time.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
It remains interesting. Thank you as always, we'll chat soon.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Thanks so much for having me on.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
You're the best. Kelsey Conway, covering the Bengals for The
Inquirer and Cincinnati dot Com. We are way late, four
o'clock ESPN fifteen thirty
Tragic tensions. Kelsey Conway covers the Bengals for The Inquirer
and Cincinnati dot Com has covered this story for the years.
It has been dragging on and we have a resolution. Hi, Kelsey,
how you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Hi?
Speaker 3 (00:17):
I am so happy to be on and talking about
the Bengals finally getting a deal done with see Higgins.
Then he just mentioned this has been a three years
saga that has consumed a lot.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Of my time.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Yeah, no question about it. So now that we are
at the end, what is your biggest takeaway?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
My biggest takeaway is that if C. Higgins didn't switch
his agent, this probably wouldn't have happened. Because from going
back to two years ago, and you know, we talked
about this on your show a bunch, just a difference
between the Bengals sentiment T Higgins and you know right now.
(01:03):
I know Duke Coven's been asked that a number of
times and they said, you know, we've always we've always
wanted T. Higgins. You can call it what it is.
Two years ago, they didn't even offer him twenty million dollars.
I reported that their first offer at him didn't eclipse that.
And here we are two years later, where he's getting
(01:23):
twenty eight point five million per year up to thirty
with incentives like there is. There was a big change
there from the organization in terms of how they viewed
t Higgins, and a lot of it has to do
with Rocky Arseno, their agent, And I'm not sure had
Tea not switched to Rocky that this would have gotten
(01:45):
done because Jamar Chase played a huge role in this
getting done for T Higgins. So I think that's my
biggest takeaway, just how much things have changed in regards
to how the Bengals value T Higgins from two years
ago to now.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Do they deserve credit for getting this done? Meaning the
Bengals credit for getting this done or criticism for the
way in which it unfolded.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
You know, that's interesting. I haven't been asked that question,
and I think it's twofold. I do think that I
said last night on It's Been Radio that Bengals fin
should obviously be happy that this happened, because it does,
in a way show a change. The way that they
structured these contracts is not something that they do. So
(02:33):
I think they definitely deserve credit for getting these two
deals done. But at the same time, they could have
had this deal done with Higgins T Higgins at a
way lower rate. You know, T Higgins would have taken
a deal within the twenty three to twenty five million
range two years ago, and then you would have almost
been coming up on the end of his contract. There's
(02:55):
some criticism deserves there, So I'm kind of on the
fence of it. So that obviously deserves credit. But they
cost themselves a lot of money, and I know people
don't really want to look at that because you want
to celebrate the positive and that if those fields got
done them not getting them having to wait and pay
(03:15):
more one percent is going to take away from someone
else or another position group. And we will see next
season how much of that they cost themselves, because if
they have this amazing offense and they make the playoffs
and they make a deep run, it'll be worth it.
But if they're dealing with some of the same issues,
(03:35):
then then you're going to look at it and say,
I wish we would have had some of that money
to address those other positions. So, you know, I go
both ways.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
On it, honestly, Yeah, I think there's room for multiple truths.
This is great that this got done right, I mean
the identity this team is set in stone for basically
the rest of the decade. They've got a core of
really good players intact that have had team and individual success.
But I do think it's fair to wonder what would
(04:04):
the roster look like, what would the salary cab situation
look like, and how many headaches could have been avoided
had this gotten done a while ago. And we're never
going to know the answer to that, but I think
that's fair to bring up what is your best guess
as to what's next with Trey Hendrickson?
Speaker 2 (04:22):
To that that was a tricky one, And I know
that there's a lot out there right now, and I
would just say this, I think Bengals fans should temper
their expectations on Trey Hendrickson because there's still a lot
of work to be done. And yes, there have been
some conversations of late, but there's still there's still some
(04:45):
work to be done there. So it's not just a
matter of oh, the Bengals got these done, Tray is
just gonna fall into place and want to come back.
They were very far apart from the first offer of
the angles made to to right now. While there's been progress,
there is still and this is something that I don't
(05:06):
think people are talking about as much with Trey Hendrickson
that I find interesting. When you allowed him to go
out and seek the trade, and I know you've talked
about how you know you thought that was really smart
played by the Bengals. It also allowed Trey and his
agent to see what the market was going to be
for him. They thought they knew what it was going
to be, but it confirmed things that they didn't know
(05:31):
because they were able to talk to teams. And that's
where that could potentially hurt the Bengals, because if Trey
and his representation talked to seven or eight different teams
and they all said, hey, we be willing to pay
you x amount, and it's that far off from the Bengals,
I have a hard time believing he's going to be
willing to come back at the number that the Bengals
(05:55):
started with. I think that it is definitely gonna have
to be given take on both sides, but it has
to be a respectable number, and to be honest, I
think it's going to be higher now because they did
allow him to go out and see what he could deserve,
and that's where I think it's going to get interesting
because he's definitely probably going to have to take somewhat
of a discount because of the situation he's in. He's
(06:18):
under contract, but I think they were able to learn
more about his market and I think that doesn't work
in the bengals favor. But the whole thing goes back
to the Bengals for right now haven't been interested in
conversations that don't involve a first round pick for as
far as trade, and I'll be interested to see over
(06:38):
these next couple of weeks what happens, because in my opinion,
if they do not deal Tray by the GIRAFT, then
things could get dicey because you lose out on potential
value you could get in return. And he becomes angry
because he at that point feels like they can't find
(06:59):
an ant here and now it almost feels like I'm
being held hostage type of situation. So I would keep
your eye on these next couple of weeks with Trey
because I think the Bengals are gonna have to make
a decision and it's either going to be we can
close the gap and get closer or yeah, we weren't
really happy with thinking about anything other than a first
round pick. But maybe it really is in our best
(07:21):
interest by the draft to get this done because if
they allow other teams to fill that need through the draft,
they could potentially lose out on anything that they could get. Well.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I mean, I guess the way a lot of us
look at it now is it's not like they've they've
addressed pass rushers so far here in free agency. And yeah,
they could take edge guys in the draft, and I
know Joseph Osiah's back and maybe Miles Murphy figures things out.
But I mean to me, the time that trade Trey
Hendrickson was last week, because if you did that, then
you were going to also address edge rusher. They didn't
(07:50):
do that, so then how do you trade them?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
But then this all goes back to the conversation I think,
and I know that had the Bengals initial offer then
at a number that what's closer to what he and
his representation believed that they could get on the open market,
I don't think we'd be in this situation. I think that,
(08:13):
and you know it's been something that I've talked about
with you before, like sometimes that's what happens with the
Bengals is their number. They view it as Okay, this
is our starting point and we'll negotiate from here. But
I think had he been a little bit closer to
what had the Bengals offer, been a little bit closer
to what he and his agent believed that they could
get on the open market, I think the deal would
(08:36):
have gotten done. I think it was just too far apart.
And now it's just awkward because it's like they allowed
you to go out and see what you're worth, and
then you've realized, oh wow, teams are gonna would be
willing to pay me even more than what I thought,
and now you have to come back and just awkwardly say, well,
I know X team would be willing to pay me
(08:57):
thirty four million per year, why should I have to
take you a significant amount less? And that's where I
think things are going to get really interesting here with Trey,
because it's not just as easy as well he just
needs to come back and just take the Bangles offer.
He learned his value, and that's where I think this
(09:18):
thing with Trey's got some time to get figured out,
and it'll be interesting to see what happens from it.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
All Right, I got like a minute here. This is
great that they have signed t Higgins, it's great that
the Jamar Chase thing has reached a good resolution. Beyond that,
free agency over the last week for the Bengals has
been very underwhelming. Why and what's next?
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I want to believe that it's because of the contracts
with Jamar and Tea, but they've known what those numbers,
for the most part, were going to look like for
a while now. It's honestly been really underwhelming. And I
can't quite get my finger on what's going on on
there because I did that interview with Duke Tobin at
(10:03):
the Senior Bowl and he admitted to me he regrets
maybe holding onto that core a year too long, that
he should have made some moves a year too long.
We're sitting here and Joseph Osai is talking about wanting
to run it back again, and there's players like Jermaine
Pratt still on the roster. So I can't quite figure
(10:23):
out what's going on because on one end, you know,
Duke Tobin says, I think I held on to some
of these guys too long, which was great. He was
honest and open about it. But the Bengals haven't made
any moves on the defensive side of the ball other
than signing TJ. Slayton to make you feel like they're
learning from their mistake and holding guys for too long.
(10:44):
So I cannot put my finger on what's going on there.
And it's easy to say, well, they just needed these
deals to get done, but in my opinion, they have
known what those deals are going to look like for
a long time.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
It remains interesting. Thank you as always, we'll chat soon.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Thanks so much for having me on.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
You're the best. Kelsey Conway, covering the Bengals for The
Inquirer and Cincinnati dot Com. We are way late, four
o'clock ESPN fifteen thirty
Mo Egger News
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