Expectations are Bengals use franchise tag on Tee Higgins

[Woodman]

They could sign him to a long-term deal or they could use a franchise tag to keep him from hitting the open market and extending the time to negotiate a new deal until mid-July. If no deal came before that point, Higgins would have the choice of sitting out or playing the 2024 season with a guaranteed salary that is projected to be $20.7 million.

Paul Dehner of TheAthletic.com reports that the team is expected to use the latter option and apply the franchise tag to Higgins. He notes that the team has the cap space to carry that salary in the 2024 season and that Joe Burrow’s cap number remains relatively low in 2024 before jumping up by nearly $20 million in 2025.






Report- Expectations are Bengals use franchise tag on Tee Higgins - NBC Sports

[Woodman]

Well there goes my dream of getting Tee Higgins into a Bills uniform.

[Woodman]

Well there goes my dream of getting Tee Higgins into a Bills uniform.

Where do they find the cap space?

[Woodman]

Bengals inform Tee Higgins that he’ll receive franchise tag.


The Bengals will be keeping their top two receivers in the fold. For now.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Bengals have informed Tee Higgins that the franchise tag will be applied. The move will keep him from becoming an unrestricted free agent.

It will result in an offer of a one-year, fully-guaranteed contract worth $21.816 million. With the news coming before the start of the Scouting Combine, a clear message is sent to any teams interested in trying to recruit Higgins via the rampant tampering of Combine week — don’t bother.

[Woodman]

It was widely expected and this morning it became official: The Bengals have applied the franchise tag to wide receiver Tee Higgins.

That means Higgins has a one-year, $21.816 million contract offer in hand and he can sign it any time he wants and get that salary fully guaranteed for the 2024 season. If Higgins goes that route, he’ll get paid this year and then next year either re-sign with the Bengals, hit unrestricted free agency, or get franchised again in 2025 and have a one-year $26.18 million contract offer in hand.




Bengals have officially applied the franchise tag to Tee Higgins - NBC Sports