In a news drop that surprised nobody paying attention, James Rapien of Sports Illustrated and Locked on Bengals reported that the Cincinnati Bengals are gearing up to use a second Franchise Tag on star wide receiver, Tee Higgins. The decision of the Bengals to tag Higgins only surprised individuals not plugged into the local Cincinnati outlets. Regardless, the top free agent is not set to hit the free market, just like last year.
Sources: The Bengals’ plan to use the franchise tag on Tee Higgins. Here’s what it means for a long-term deal, when it could happen and other details that we have on the star wide receiver
https://t.co/TdLrFWc6Bn
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) February 17, 2025
What’s Next as the Bengals Plan to Tag Tee Higgins Again
The team and Higgins have been trying to work out a contract extension for a few years now and it will continue this offseason. Higgins has shown that he wants to stay in Cincinnati. Ja’Marr Chase wants Higgins in Cincinnati. Joe Burrow wants Higgins in Cincinnati. Ever since Higgins led the offense to a crucial overtime win over the Denver Broncos in Week 17, Burrow has been speaking publicly about the need for Higgins. It’s obvious that he is an appreciated member of the team and the Bengals need to get the job done.
The Bengals have three options moving forward:
Extend
The goal of the negotiations has been to lock Higgins down on a long-term extension. If he had hit free agency, it’s not unrealistic to think he would earn north of $30 million per year on average. Cincinnati has had issues locking down potential free agents because it refuses to guarantee money past the first year of the contract. The team has made a habit of cutting bait with players before the final year of the contract, so guaranteeing money would be counterproductive. However, Higgins is different than the other WR2s of the last two decades. He’s better than T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Marvin Jones.
Yes, the concern is availability. Over the last two seasons, Higgins has missed 10 games. That fact will likely play into the guarantees and the Bengals will do what they tend to do and load per-game bonuses in. They do almost-guarantees. That is to say, they tend to play around with easily-attainable bonuses, like per-game bonuses.
Higgins’ price has gone up over the last two offseasons. The Bengals would have saved so much money if they had extended him back when they could have. Alas, 2025 is here and the saga continues.
Tag-And-Trade
The difference between this year’s tag and last year’s is the fact that the Bengals are planning on utilizing the non-exclusive Franchise Tag. Unlike last year, teams can bid on Higgins. If a team bids on him, the Bengals can match it. If a team bids and the Bengals don’t match, the bidding team will be awarded Higgins in exchange for two first-round picks. Considering the wide receiver will be making $26.1 million this year, it’s unlikely that this will be how he is moved, if at all.
While teams can negotiate terms with Higgins that the Bengals can later match, the team can work with Higgins and other teams to find a trade partner. It’s unlikely that a team would want to fork over two first-round picks for Higgins, even if he’s worth it, so they and the Bengals would have to work something else out.
Of the three outcomes, this is the most unlikely. At the same time, it’s the second-best for the health of the team.
Play on the Tag and Reassess
Players do not like the Franchise Tag. However, this year, the feeling around the tag and Higgins is a bit different. Last year, the tag was applied because the Bengals and Higgins could not come anywhere close to a deal. Since then, Higgins changed agents from one who struggles to play nice with the Bengals to one who does. The team is looking to get a long-term extension figured out and the tag is just assuring that those discussions take place.
If the two cannot come to an agreement before the mid-July deadline, Higgins will have to play on the tag once again (assuming he signs) and we’ll have to go through all of this again.
Higgins’ mother is not a fan of the team’s decision, of course:
Selfish bastards
— TEEHIGGINSMOM #5
(@adizlady) February 18, 2025
If the team cannot manage to extend Higgins, it has the option of a third tag that would increase Higgins’ pay again for 2026. However, 2026 is when Burrow starts to get expensive and would be the first year of a new Chase contract/a Chase tag saga.
Another tag would be viewed quite negatively because it would just look like the team was stringing one of its stars along. Ideally, Higgins is extended this offseason.
Keeping The Band Together
Shortly after Rapien’s report that Higgins is expected to get another tag, ESPN‘s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Bengals are actively looking at keeping Higgins, Chase, and Trey Hendrickson via extensions.
#Bengals embarking on ambitious offseason, aiming for deals with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson, sources say.
That starts with Higgins and the franchise tag. ‘Can’t let him walk,’ per source.
https://t.co/ZNsquklUoY— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 18, 2025
This is the best way to keep that Burrow-led Super Bowl window pried open. Both Chase and Hendrickson were the best at their respective positions in 2024 and both have deserved long-term stability.
Chase’s extension should have come last year. Now, with a Triple Crown under his belt to go with the ever-inflating Salary Cap, he’s going to be even more expensive. Hendrickson’s situation has been interesting. The team signed him to a deal before the 2021 season, then a one-year extension before the 2023 season that kept him under contract through 2025. Last year, Hendrickson evidently requested a trade that was rescinded later. This offseason, he gave the team an ultimatum of extension or trade.
On one hand, using up that many resources on four players would make it harder to rebuild the defense. Going into this offseason, the Bengals absolutely have to find defensive free agents and draft a few playmakers.
On the other hand, can the Bengals find any players who could replicate Higgins’ or Hendrickson’s impact? Unless they get those two first-round picks, it’s unlikely.
Keeping elite talents in-house is a great way of keeping afloat. The next step will be nailing the draft. Both teams in Super Bowl 59 have drafted incredibly well while paying their stars. That’s the next hurdle.
Maybe having more than four scouts would help.
Main Image: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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