It’s official: The Bengals are using the franchise tag on WR Tee Higgins
The Cincinnati Bengals put the franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins for the second season in a row after failing to agree on a long-term contract.
The Cincinnati Bengals and wide receiver Tee Higgins have not come to an agreement on a long-term contract, but the team will maintain the player another year by way of the franchise tag. At least, that’s the idea for now.
tag.
— Tee Higgins⁵ (@teehiggins5) March 3, 2025
Bengals tag Higgins
This is the second year in a row that the Bengals will use the franchise tag on Higgins, making him $21 million last year. If they again fail to come up with a deal before July 15, Higgins will play on the tag and make $26 million. The Bengals are currently also in negotiations with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
The #Bengals have, in fact, franchise tagged WR Tee Higgins a second time, per @teehiggins5.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 3, 2025
No surprise, as Cincy is not in the business of letting good players walk away. They’ll hope to do a long-term deal after the more than $26M tag. pic.twitter.com/XW56WgiW6a
Potentially, the Bengals could choose to trade Higgins if they don’t come to an agreement. That way, they could save the costs as well as get something in return. Considering Higgins' value, they could get some decent draft picks in return. It may be worth it to do it that way for the Bengals if Higgins potentially holds out, as they can’t afford another slow start like last year.
Higgins is entering his sixth season with the Bengals. In his time in Cincinnati, he’s caught 330 passes for 4,595 yards and 34 touchdowns. Head coach Zac Taylor and director of personnel Duke Tobin have expressed their desire to keep Higgins on the team for longer, but depending on how things play out, that may not happen.
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