Tee Higgins is returning to the Cincinnati Bengals in some form.
The Bengals announced a few days later on Monday that they had named the standout wide receiver their franchise player. reportedly informed him of their decision. Rather than let him test free agency, the Bengals are keeping him to continue his successful on-field duo with teammate Ja'Marr Chase. This year, the tag is expected to pay the wide receiver a fully guaranteed $21.8 million.
The franchise tag expires on March 5th. In the meantime, the Bengals could sign Higgins to a long-term deal.
Higgins is coming off the least productive season of his career, largely due to missing five games due to injury. He posted career lows in catches, receiving yards, touchdowns, and targets while catching passes from Joe Burrow and Jake Browning.
Higgins has filled the role of a highly capable No. 2 wide receiver since the arrival of Ja'Marr Chase, but he is in the fourth year of his rookie contract and picked up his fifth-year option this offseason. It's almost certain that it will.
With Chase's payday looming and Burrow's five-year, $275 million contract, the Bengals may be hesitant to pay a top receiver with Higgins likely available on the free market. unknown. Still, the team has $51 million in cap space in 2024, according to OverTheCap, with only a few big cap hits in subsequent seasons.
