Tee Higgins is returning to the Cincinnati Bengals, one way or another.
The Bengals revealed on Monday that they have designated the star wide receiver as their franchise player, some days after allegedly telling him of their choice. Rather than allowing him to test free agency, the Bengals are keeping him on the roster to continue his strong on-field partnership with colleague Ja’Marr Chase. This year’s tag is expected to pay wide outs a fully guaranteed $21.8 million.
The deadline for using the franchise tag is March 5. Between now and then, the Bengals can still sign Higgins to a long-term deal.
Higgins is coming off the least productive season of his career, owing primarily to five missed games due to injury. He posted career.Lows in catches, receiving yards, touchdowns, and targets occurred while catching passes from Joe Burrow and Jake Browning.
Higgins has taken on the role of an exceptionally capable No. 2 wide receiver with the arrival of Ja’Marr Chase, who is entering his fourth season of his rookie contract and will almost probably have his fifth-year option picked up this offseason.
Chase’s impending payout, along with Burrow’s five-year, $275 million contract, may force the Bengals to resist offering Higgins’ best receiver money that he could surely obtain on the free market. Still, OverTheCap reports that the team has $51 million in cap space for 2024, with only a few large cap hits in subsequent seasons.
