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Cincinnati Bengals announce franchise tag for wide receiver Tee Higgins

kelsey conway, cincinnati enquirer
·7 min read

Update: The Cincinnati Bengals on Monday announced Tee Higgins tagged as their franchise player for 2024. “Tee has done an outstanding job for us since we drafted him in 2020,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said in a press release. “I’m glad that he’ll continue to be a big part of our offense and our team.”

Original story: The Cincinnati Bengals have informed wide receiver Tee Higgins they are placing the franchise tag on him, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told The Enquirer Friday night. The news was first reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Higgins, 25, was set to become a free agent if the Bengals didn’t place the tag on him. If Higgins signs the tag, he will play the upcoming season with the Bengals and be paid an estimated $21.8 million fully guaranteed.

There was plenty of debate externally on what the Bengals would do with Higgins. After failed contract negotiations last offseason, the three options for Cincinnati were the following: Tag him and keep him for one more season, tag him in hopes to trade him to another team (which is still an option) or let him walk to free agency.

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Tee Higgins has until mid-July to sign the tag which would give him an estimated guaranteed one-year salary of $21.8 million.
Tee Higgins has until mid-July to sign the tag which would give him an estimated guaranteed one-year salary of $21.8 million.

The window to place the franchise tag on Higgins opened on Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. and Higgins has until mid-July to sign the tag. It will be in Higgins’ best interest to return for the upcoming season highly motivated as his performance in 2024 will likely dictate his second contract.

How have the Bengals used the franchise tag?

Cincinnati's most recent uses of the franchise tag have been with wide receiver AJ Green in 2020 (they placed the tag on Green on March 16) and safety Jessie Bates in 2022 (placed tag on Bates on March 7).

For the Bengals, the decision to tag Higgins and pay him a hefty amount for one season is rooted in quarterback Joe Burrow’s desire to keep Ja’Marr Chase and Higgins as his primary receivers for another year. Cincinnati is hoping to go on another Super Bowl run pending Burrow’s health. Keeping Higgins gives the Bengals the best chance to do so.

"I expect Tee to be back,” Burrow said after the 2023 season. “I think that's the sentiment in the locker room. We all want Tee back.”

It’s highly unlikely the Bengals and Higgins will come to terms on an extension as the first go-around didn’t go well. A source close to the situation told The Enquirer the two sides “never got close” on an extension in the offseason ahead of the 2023 season. All signs point to Higgins playing one more season with the Bengals and then hitting free agency next March.

The two most recent times the Bengals used the franchise tag was on wide receiver A.J. Greene in 2020 and safety Jesse Bates in 2022.
The two most recent times the Bengals used the franchise tag was on wide receiver A.J. Greene in 2020 and safety Jesse Bates in 2022.

What is the franchise tag?

While Burrow doesn’t get the final say in personnel decisions, his input is valued at a high level.

The franchise tag is a one-year contract that prevents a player from negotiating with any other team as they would during the free agency period and pays the player a fully guaranteed salary. The number is calculated each year by averaging the top five cap hits at the position for the previous five years. That figure is then proportionally adjusted for the upcoming season's salary cap.

Each NFL team can only apply the franchise tag on one player per year.

The Enquirer reported prior to the start of the regular season in 2023 that the Bengals and Higgins never got close on an extension. Higgins was eligible to receive one after his third season in 2022, and the two sides were unable to reach an agreement. If the player and team aren’t able to reach an extension prior to the final year of their contract, it typically results in both sides moving on.

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Higgins has been a key piece in the Bengals offense since the team drafted him in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. If Chase wasn’t taken with the No. 5 overall pick a year later to be paired with Burrow, Higgins likely would have already reached an extension with the team.

It’s extremely difficult for NFL teams to pay two wide receivers top of the market contracts, especially with the contract Burrow received last summer. The Bengals gave Burrow a five-year extension worth $275 million that carries an average annual value of $55 million. He is signed with the Bengals through the 2029 season.

The wide receiver market has also exploded over the last few years. The top wide receivers are making between $24 million and $30 million. Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill leads the group with $30 million per year and Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown make in the $24-25 million range.

Chase is likely to be closer to the $30 million range when it’s all said and done. The former Offensive Rookie of the Year is eligible for an extension this offseason but likely will wait until Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson gets his new deal before engaging in contract negotiations with the Bengals.

Higgins is similar to Brown and Metcalf in style of play as mainly an outside receiver so his market will likely resemble their contracts.

In four seasons with the Bengals, Higgins has caught 257 passes for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bengals place franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins