Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow didn’t hold back on Monday when asked about Tee Higgins.

With the star wide receiver facing free agency this offseason, Burrow made it clear — he expects Higgins back on the team next year and went as far as saying that’s the overall sentiment in the locker room, too.

“I expect Tee to be back,” Burrow said. “We all expect Tee to be back. That’s the sentiment we all have in the locker room.”

Burrow went as far as suggesting that when he did his extension with the Bengals, things were built in to help along processes such as keeping Higgins in town.

What those things are as of this writing isn’t fully clear, especially with the team likely wanting to work on Ja’Marr Chase’s extension as soon as he’s eligible for one this offseason.

Barring a new deal for Higgins this offseason though, the Bengals could use a tag to keep him under contract for an additional season while giving all parties another year to work on a long-term deal.

Given how the Bengals have modernized in recent years, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them later use things like contract restructures for Burrow to free up more space for the likes of Higgins.

Either way, Burrow has now applied some public pressure when it comes to Higgins.

Story originally appeared on Bengals Wire