The biggest decision for the Cincinnati Bengals was what they would do with star receiver Tee Higgins headed into the offseason, whose contract expired after the 2023 season. The Bengals didn’t make anyone wait too long.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported on Friday night that the Bengals will be placing the franchise tag on Higgins.
He added later that “The franchise tag number is expected to be around $21.8M, fully guaranteed.”
The franchise tag number is expected to be around $21.8M, fully guaranteed, for the #Bengals and Tee Higgins. The first tagged player of this window. https://t.co/dsoQEeThv5
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 24, 2024
It’s worth noting, of course, that the Bengals could still trade Higgins or sign him to a long-term deal. This does, however, mean that Higgins — who was one of the top players in this year’s class — will not be headed to free agency.
Cincinnati’s decision drew a strong reaction and a lot of speculation.
Well that’s a quick one. First tag of the offseason, $21.82M for Higgins
Interesting just because Jessie Bates’ tag came a day before the deadline IIRC https://t.co/PVDsy1dZ4D
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@SpielbergerBrad) February 24, 2024
Well that was way faster than expected https://t.co/VJKfNSG5lA
— Jake Liscow (@JakeLiscow) February 24, 2024
Cross him off the wish list Jets fans https://t.co/BWlfeCN9NF
— Brian Costello (@BrianCoz) February 24, 2024
Now the question is will they trade. Imagine a lot of teams will be sniffing around next week in Indy https://t.co/ncyRs2KAov
— John Middlekauff (@JohnMiddlekauff) February 24, 2024
It’s official, Tee Higgins tagged.
Now let’s hope a deal can be worked out.. 💪 https://t.co/PXs0xmSxYU
— Bengalorian (@thebengalorian) February 24, 2024
Higgins, much like his team, is coming off of a season that was hampered by injuries. He played in only 12 games in 2023, catching 42 passes for 656 yards with five touchdowns. In 2021, he caught 74 passes for 1,091 yards with six touchdowns, helping the Bengals reach Super Bowl LVI. Cincinnati repeated as AFC North champions in 2022 and returned to the AFC Championship Game. Higgins was again a big factor, catching 74 passes for 1,029 yards with seven touchdowns.
[Ian Rapoport on Twitter/X]
