The Cincinnati Bengals announced on Monday that they have used their franchise tag on Tee Higgins, but that does not necessarily mean the wide receiver will remain with the team through the offseason.
Higgins wants a long-term contract, and the Bengals now have until July 17 to sign him to one. If the two sides cannot come to an agreement, it is possible Cincinnati will trade Higgins. The offers for the star wide receiver might be enticing, too.
It is interesting how quickly things have changed for the Cincinnati Bengals: a few weeks ago, there was substantial panic that the team would once again be losing a superstar for nothing but compensatory picks. Last season, All-Pro free safety Jessie Bates III left the Queen City for the Atlanta Falcons and due to additional free agency activity, Cincinnati didn’t even acquire a third rounder from the loss. Above all else, Cincinnati has made it priority to avoid that type of roster waste again during the upcoming offseason.
The big news over the past few days has been Cincinnati’s franchise tag being placed on elite wide receiver Tee Higgins. Higgins was ranked as one of the best players to hit free agency this offseason and once he left, there was no guarantee the team would be able to bring him back in 2024. After the franchise tag, there is no longer that possibility as Higgins is locked in to a one-year, $21.8 million fully guaranteed contract.
