Tee Higgins Receives $26.2M Bengals Franchise Tag Amid Contract Extension Rumors

Tee Higgins will remain with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2025 after all.

The team once again slapped the franchise tag on the veteran wideout, according to the man himself, though it may simply be a move designed to buy them more time to negotiate a long-term extension:

The 26-year-old Higgins was set to hit free agency last offseason, though the Bengals took that off the table when they used the $21.8 million franchise tag to keep him in 2024.

That set up two main options for Cincinnati this offseason.

One, let him explore the free agency market and risk losing him. And two, the franchise tag, which has bought the Bengals time to either sign Higgins to an extension or trade him. At the very least, they won't be losing him without getting anything return, at least this offseason.

There was uncertainty about which route the team would go given that Joe Burrow's five-year, $275 million extension kicks in for the 2024 season and Ja'Marr Chase will play the 2025 season on a fifth-year option estimated to be just under $22 million and sign a massive, cap-inflating extension in the near future.

So the Bengals had to make a decision about how much they valued Higgins, knowing the other big contracts on the offensive side of the ball would limit their financial flexibility while building out the rest of the roster.

Higgins has been productive during his career, with two seasons over 1,000 receiving yards, four years hitting at least 900 receiving yards and 34 total touchdowns through his five four seasons. Injuries did limit him to just 24 games in the past two years.

So the Bengals have bought themselves some time. At the very least, they'll either get assets back in return for him via a trade or have him for at least one more season. But Burrow—who has been very clear this offseason that he doesn't want the Bengals to lose their top players—would assuredly prefer the Bengals finally agree on a long-term extension with Higgins, ending this two-year franchise tag saga.