Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Bengals have informed WR Tee Higgins that he will franchise the franchise tag ahead of the upcoming deadline.
The deadline for the Bengals to use the tag was March 5. However, the tag won’t prevent Cincinnati from negotiating a long-term extension in the coming months leading up to the July 15 deadline.
The franchise tag will cost the Bengals around $21.8 million fully guaranteed for the 2024 season.
All indications were that the Bengals were not going to allow Higgins to test the open market this year, so this news shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
What will be interesting to watch, however, is whether the Bengals can get a long-term deal in place for a key contributor with another important extension for WR Ja’Marr Chase on the horizon.
Higgins, 25, is a former second-round pick by the Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Clemson. He just finished the final year of a four-year, $8,686,785 rookie contract and made a base salary of $2,993,000 in 2023.
Higgins is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2024.
In 2023, Higgins appeared in 12 games for the Bengals and recorded 42 receptions on 76 targets for 656 yards receiving and five touchdowns.
We had him included in our Top 100 2024 NFL Free Agents list.
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