Tee Higgins Rumors: Bengals Contract Talks 'Nonexistent' Despite Franchise Tag Buzz

Long-term contract negotiations between the Cincinnati Bengals and Tee Higgins are reportedly "nonexistent" despite the wideout recently signing his franchise tag.

"Higgins, highly unlikely he gets a long-term deal. I was told that talks as of late are all but non-existent," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday on SportsCenter. "So, they talked before, made an offer and didn't come to any sort of agreement. It's been pretty quiet. And so, Higgins is in a situation now where he's all but relenting that, 'I'm going to play on a one-year deal with the Bengals and then I'm going to go kill it in free agency in 2025.'

"He is not likely to be franchise tagged that next year because that would be a huge number and the Bengals are trying to budget for No. 1 Ja'Marr Chase, who some believe is the best receiver in the NFL next to Justin Jefferson. And so, they want to prioritize him; Burrow, Chase together long-term. It's complicated though because Chase has two years left on his rookie contract and they don't have to do it right now. The market is huge as we're seeing $30-plus million for some of these receivers but the Bengals are going to try to shake this out and see what they can come to an agreement with. At least Higgins is in the fold, he's signed. It was a bit of a surprise that he even signed this early. Some thought he would maybe wait until mid, late August, drag this out. But here he is, he's in the fold."

Higgins will make $21.8 million next season under the tag. He held out throughout the Bengals' offseason program but will be required to attend training camp after signing the tender.

The 2020 second-round pick is coming off the worst season of his NFL career. Higgins recorded 42 receptions for 656 yards and five touchdowns in 2023, spending much of the season struggling with injuries.

The Bengals seemingly have every intention of using the tag on Higgins for next season before allowing him to walk in free agency in 2025. Ja'Marr Chase is due a massive long-term extension that will undoubtedly top $30 million per season. It's likely Chase will look to at least match the four-year, $140 million extension signed by Justin Jefferson this offseason.

While Cincinnati can wait another year to ink that deal with Chase's fifth-year option coming in 2025, the idea of carrying Chase, Higgins and Joe Burrow on the roster is borderline impossible if the team wants to build elsewhere.

Burrow is tied for the NFL's highest-paid quarterback at $55 million per season. With his cap number set to rise to $46.3 million, the cap crunch is going to come somewhere.

Barring another injury-plagued season, Higgins should find a robust free-agent market next offseason. He doesn't turn 26 until January and already has two 1,000-yard seasons under his belt despite serving as a WR2 behind Chase.

The Tennessee Titans lavished Calvin Ridley with a four-year, $92 million deal in March despite him being near his 30th birthday and only a year removed from a yearlong suspension for violating the NFL's gambling policy. Odds are a bounce-back year will result in a nine-figure deal for Higgins.