Source: Bengals place franchise tag on WR Tee Higgins | Top Vip News

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  • Ben Baby, ESPN writerFebruary 26, 2024, 09:23 am ET

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      Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for several newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News, where he covered college sports. He provides daily Bengals coverage for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN NFL shows and ESPN radio shows. Originally from Grapevine, Texas, he graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of North Texas. He is an adjunct professor of journalism at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

CINCINNATI — The Bengals have made their first big decision of the offseason, placing the franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The move positions the Bengals to retain Higgins for at least one more season. If the two sides do not reach a long-term agreement by July 15, Higgins will be restricted to a one-year contract with the club worth $21.816 million, which is the league-wide franchise tag amount for wide receivers in 2024.

The deadline for teams to use the franchise or transition tag is March 5.

Higgins, a 2020 second-round draft pick, was set to enter free agency after his rookie contract with Cincinnati expired. In his first four seasons with the team, he caught 257 passes for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns. In seven postseason games, he has 31 receptions for 457 yards and three touchdowns.

This is the second consecutive offseason in which Higgins’ long-term future with the club has been a topic of conversation. At last year’s NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, Bengals executive Duke Tobin emphatically rejected a potential trade involving Higgins.

However, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term extension before Higgins entered the final season of his current contract. Higgins had an injury-plagued 2023 season that limited him to 12 games. He totaled 42 receptions, 656 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Higgins has publicly and privately expressed his desire to remain in Cincinnati for several years. But that’s just one expensive part of Cincinnati’s projected future offense.

In 2023, quarterback Joe Burrow signed a five-year contract extension worth $275 million, setting the NFL record for highest average annual salary. Burrow’s cap hit will be $46.3 million in 2025, according to Roster Management System.

Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is also tipped to be one of the highest-paid players at his position. Chase has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three NFL seasons, has set multiple franchise receiving records and is looking to earn a salary at the top of the market.

The news of Higgins receiving the franchise tag was first reported by NFL Network.

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