Report: Cincinnati Bengals have 'intent' to sign Tee Higgins to long-term deal after franchise tag

Earlier on Monday, the Cincinnati Bengals again placed their franchise tag on WR Tee Higgins. However, that does not change the franchise’s plans to keep him for longer moving forward.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cincy still intends to work towards a deal between them and Higgins.

“After designating Tee Higgins as their franchise player for the second straight year, the Bengals said they did so with the ‘intent of continuing to work toward a long-term deal in Cincinnati.'”

Schefter reported that Higgins would again be placed on the franchise tag for this season. That’s after playing on it last year as well for the Bengals. That last tag was at $21.8 million with this one almost four and a half million dollars more, a raise of 120%, at $26.2 million.

This upcoming year will be the sixth for Higgins in Cincinnati. In that time, he has 330 receptions for 4,595 yards and 34 touchdowns, which averages out to 66 catches for 919 yards, good for 65.6 per game, and 6.8 touchdowns through a half decade as a Bengal. That includes 73 catches for 911 yards and a career-high of 10 touchdowns in 2024.

With that, Higgins’ future has been up in the air between a new extension or a new team. Cincinnati would clearly like to keep him but the money could get complicated, especially with what they’re already paying to players like QB Joe Burrow and what they are expecting to eventually pay for their top target in WR Ja’Marr Chase.

As of now, Higgins will remain a Bengal for at least one more season with this tender. The issue remains, though, in how Cincinnati will be able to keep him on their books further into the future.

Report: Cincinnati Bengals place franchise tag on Tee Higgins

For the second season in a row, the Cincinnati Bengals have used their franchise tag on WR Tee Higgins, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Bengals will pay Higgins a total of $26.2 million to keep him next season. That’s after he played under a franchise tag of $21.8 million last season

The Bengals had until March 12th to come to a long-term agreement with Higgins but had to use their franchise tag by March 4th. If contract discussions were not progressing, the Bengals likely used the franchise tag to ensure they would have Higgins on the roster next season.