Report: Tee Higgins signs franchise tag with Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins has signed his franchise tender and is expected to be present for training camp, according to Bengals beat reporter Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Inquirer.

She tweeted out the news on Saturday morning:

“Breaking: Tee Higgins has signed his franchise tag, sources tell me. He is expected to report for training camp when it begins.”

NFL insider Ian Rapoport had more to add on the Higgins front, tweeting that the wideout is open to further future contract negotiations:

“With Bengals WR Tee Higgins signing his franchise tag today, it means he’ll show up for training camp with his teammates. He’s open to an extension off the tag, and we shall see if it happens. But he’s now locked in and under contract.”

Given the Bengals rather frugal history with contracts, their need to pay another receiver named Ja’Marr Chase, and the exploding WR market, a deal may be tough to envision.

“While an extension is possible, it would be considered unlikely,” Rapoport said in a second tweet. “By waiting and being patient Tee Higgins has seen the WR market jump considerably and has made himself a lot of money in the future.”

Higgins has played all four years of his career in Cincinnati after being selected there in the second round back in 2020, the team’s second overall pick that season behind Joe Burrow. With his four-year rookie contract up this offseason, the Bengals opted to place Higgins on the franchise tag, meaning he must remain on the team on a fixed one-year deal.

Higgins and his team weren’t happy about the tag, but given the payday he’s set to receive in just one season, it’s hard to pass up. He made just over $8 million on his four-year rookie deal, good money, but he could more than double that sum with his $21 million guaranteed off the tag for a wide receiver in 2024.

A very similar played out with the Bengals and the franchise tag just two years ago when the team made a run to the AFC Championship on the heels of their 2021-22 Super Bowl run.

Safety Jessie Bates wished for an extension but didn’t get and instead was tagged. Coming off a rookie deal, like Higgins, he had to take the cash and play another year, but then left for a large payday down in Atlanta, where he’s now heading into his second season.

Sure, an extension is in the realm of possibility. Who knows, there could be fan pressure to keep the band together if Cincy can return to the Championship round or Super Bowl, and a title would certainly be persuasive in the way of Higgins/Chase extensions, you’d think.