While the public reason for the Bengals’ lack of interest in a deal is that they are still looking to work out a long-term agreement with Higgins, as Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk notes, the optics may be as important to the Bengals as their actual plans for Higgins.

Multiple teams inquired about the availability of franchise-tagged Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, but Cincinnati's appetite for parting with the No. 2 receiver remains unclear, according to reports.

NFL analyst Mina Kimes thinks the Patriots should be checking with the Bengals about a possible Tee Higgins trade.